Hunting Blood
by RaspberriCloud
Summary: Mikan Sakura is a normal teenager. That is, until her 16th birthday comes around and her senses start to hype up. When a dodge ball game gets interrupted by two mysterious boys and one murderous monster, Mikan gets thrown into a world of blood thirst and battle. Accompanied by three kick ass vampires, Mikan joins an ancient battle of fangs and discovers her own half-blood history.
1. Chapter 1

Natsume stared blankly at the desk in front of him. He was doing that a lot these days, just loosing himself in his own thought. Recently Natsume's mind seemed to be filled with stress and worry. Of course, he didn't let anyone know that, not intentionally anyway.

"Natsume!" a voice called out. Natsume looked up. A young, blonde haired man rushed into Natsume's office. He was kneeling over with his hands on his knees. The man's breath was ragged as if he just ran a very long distance. Natsume narrowed his eyes. Whatever was going on, it didn't look good.

"Natsume!" The boy repeated. "The midnight hunt just got back. We barely made it. We were swarmed near the old church."

"How many?" Natsume inquired.

"About twenty. We managed to kill most of them, but a few got away. Imai is in the hospital right now with a nasty bite on the shoulder," The boy replied, concern dancing across his eyes. Natsume was also worrying. _Twenty?_ Natsume knew that the night was crawling with the monsters. But twenty appearing in the same spot at the same time? It didn't add up.

"Is Imai ok?" Natsume asked.

"She should make a full recovery. But Natsume, that's not all. Just before they swarmed us, Imai and I smelled something strange. We thought it was Vampire blood and Human blood mixed together. Natsume…we think we found a halfblood." Natsume's brow furrowed. This was big news. If a half blood was out there than there was a chance that innocent people would fall victim to its thirst.

"Ruka, how's your condition?" asked Natsume.

"I've got some scratches and I'm a bit out of breath, but on the whole I'm fine," the blonde replied.

"Good, because it looks like we have a bit more hunting to do."

-~-1-~-

Mikan freaking hated gym class, and it wasn't even the gym part of it that she hated. It was that stupid bitch Wakoko that she hated. Mikan never knew what part of Wakoko thought it necessary to make her life a living hell. But whatever it was, it sure wasn't very nice. It was even worse that gym class was the one class that she shared with Wakoko. Well, at least they didn't have any other classes together.

"Well class, today we are going to play dodge ball. Have fun and don't get hurt," Coach Fukutan instructed. And with that, the teacher walked out of class. He probably went off to grab a soda and the newspaper. He'd be back in twenty minutes or so to tell the class to be a bit more careful. Then he'd probably sit in the corner on his lawn chair and read. Mikan always wondered how the hell he managed to become a teacher.

"Alright! Let's choose teams! I'm team captain!" Wakoko yelled. God the girl was annoying.

"Ok," Wakoko continued, "If you're normally on my team then come over here and if you're not, go over to the loser's side!"

"You do know that's not how team captain works, right?" Anna asked.

"It doesn't matter _pink head_," Wakoko retorted.

"Whatever _drama queen_," Anna muttered. Mikan snorted in response and then followed Anna to the other side of the gym. The dodge balls were placed on the half way line and the two teams lined up against their wall.

"One, two, three, GO!" Wakoko yelled. Of course, she and the rest of her team ran toward the balls before she even finished counting. But since it was Wakoko's team, it really didn't matter. The game was going swiftly. Wakoko's team kept pegging the 'losers' off one by one. Mikan managed to stay on though. Dodge ball just happened to be her best sport. Pretty soon Mikan was the only one left on the court.

"Come on Mikan! You can do it!' Some of her teammates cheered from the bench.

"You're doing good Mikan!" Anna yelled.

Mikan _was_ doing good, in fact, she seemed to be doing better than normal. Her reflexes were sharper and her strength seemed to have had a boost. It had been something Mikan had noticed for about a week, or more precisely, since her 16th birthday. Mikan shrugged the thought aside and focused on the game. One of Wakoko's friends aimed for her. Mikan saw the ball coming toward her and quickly dodged out of the way. Mikan grabbed a ball that was rolling toward her foot and threw it at Wakoko with as much force as she could muster. The ball went flying through the air and landed perfectly on the top of Wakoko's head.

"Ow!" She shrieked. A chorus of laughter was heard from Mikan's side of the gym.

"And you, my dear friend, would be out," Mikan laughed.

Mikan's victory was short lived. It turns out that Wakoko's team didn't find it as funny as Mikan did. Mikan was caught off guard when a number of dodge balls came flying at her. She had no time to dodge, and so, she got hit a number of times.

"Good job team!" Wakoko cheered annoyingly. Mikan rolled her eyes.

"Set up the dodge balls and play again," Coach instructed. Oh good, he _finally _came back.

The class did as he said and walked over to their respective sides.

"Ok!" Wakoko yelled. "One, two, three, G-" Wakoko was cut off when a figure suddenly crashed through a gym window. It was quickly followed by another figure. Shrieks echoed throughout the gym. Some girls ran to the change rooms but Mikan was glued to the spot. The first figure seemed to be a blonde haired boy. When Mikan looked closer, she realised he looked to be around her age. The second figure was much different. It had pale, papery skin that wrapped around its bones. It had sunken eyes and a long, narrow jaw. It had pinned the boy to the ground and opened its mouth to reveal long, pointy fangs. Mikan realised what was in front of her. It was the reason why the curfew was made, why people were terrified to leave their homes after dark. In front of her was a monster. The monster leaned in toward the boy and placed its widespread mouth above the boy's neck. Mikan realised with jolt of horror that it was about to bite the boy.

"No!" Mikan yelled.

The monster's attention switched over to Mikan. Its face turned toward her to reveal dark blue eyes. A moment later a third figure rolled in through the window. Mikan saw a flash of black and red, then a silver blade digging into the monster's back. The monster let out a horrible, ear splitting scream then fell limp. The blonde rolled out of the way just before the monster fell on him. The raven haired extended a hand to which the blonde gladly accepted.

"You ok?" the raven haired asked.

"That's twice today I've nearly been killed," the blonde joked. "But yeah, I'm ok." The two boys looked around the gym. The remaining girls that didn't run were huddled in the corners of the gym. Their faces clearly showed how terrified they were. Coach was still sitting on his lawn chair. His face was so pale he almost looked like a monster himself. Coach had dropped his soda and the liquid was now pooling around his chair.

"Everyone who is in here, please change then follow us to the principal's office," the blonde yelled out. The girls nodded and hurried to the change rooms.

"I'm assuming you're the teacher of this class?" The blonde asked Coach.

"Uh…Yes! I am!" Coach Fukutan replied.

"Go outside and make sure your students stay together. We'll be heading over to the office immediately." The raven haired instructed. Coach didn't even reply. He just ran out of the gym. The two boys then turned their attention back to Mikan. She hadn't moved an inch; she was still dumbstruck.

"You know, distracting that monster was really stupid," the blonde scolded. "That being said, I'd probably be dead right now if you hadn't."

"Ruka," the raven haired boy said impatiently. "She's the one, isn't she?"

The blonde boy, Ruka, narrowed his eyes. "Yes, her scent is strong," Ruka replied. Mikan gasped as Ruka suddenly approached her. He grabbed her wrist and inhaled deeply.

"It's definitely her," Ruka concluded.

It finally dawned on Mikan that she and the two boys were the only people in the room.

"What do you want with me?" Mikan demanded. The raven haired chuckled.

"Just follow us to the office like everyone else," he advised. Mikan nodded and followed the boys out of the gym.

-~-1-~-

"I would like to know the meaning of this!" Our secretary exclaimed.

The two boys, coach, and the rest of Mikan's gym class had just filed into the office. Several of the other girls from gym class were already there.

"There has been an incident in the gym. We have evacuated everyone that was there at the time. No one was hurt but most of the witnesses are in shock. One of the windows has been smashed. You will need to close the gym until it is repaired. Oh, and don't worry. My agency will cover all expenses toward the damage," the raven haired boy explained.

"An incident? What incident? And who are you? What agency? I need more details!" The secretary yelled. The poor woman was close to hysteria. Mikan didn't blame her. A whole gym class appeared at the office door followed by two armed and bloody boys. The boys however, seemed calm and collected. The raven haired boy approached the front desk and pulled out a silver badge. A pair of fangs was clearly etched into the badge.

"I'm Natsume Hyuuga and this is my colleague Ruka Nogi. We work with the special security squad that hunts monsters," Natsume explained.

"Monsters!" The secretary exclaimed. "But it's broad daylight! They're only supposed to come out at night!"

Mikan noticed Ruka shift his weight from foot to foot. Natsume's jaw was clenched but otherwise remained emotionless. An uneasy feeling settled throughout the room.

"We have been hunting this particular monster since early this morning. It hadn't had the chance to settle down to rest," Natsume explained.

Ruka stepped forward and said, "Ma'am, it would a good idea to let these girls go home for the day. Let them take it easy and rest. Same with the gym coach." Ruka pointed over to Fukutan. The secretary nodded feverishly.

"You heard the boys," she said. "All of you, head home."

"And be careful," Ruka warned.

-~-1-~-

Mikan wandered over to her locker. She pulled out her binders and text books. Mikan had always been a hard working student. Even though she wasn't that bright, she managed to scrape up some decent grades with her effort. Mikan headed out of the building. As she walked home, the scene from the gym kept replaying in her mind. She couldn't forget the fact that those guys had sniffed her. It was kind of freaky. So she smelled weird, _great_.

As Mikan walked, she became increasingly aware of someone following her. Mikan glanced around uneasily but came to the conclusion that she was alone. Still, Mikan felt uncomfortable so she picked up her pace. But no matter how fast she went, she still felt like someone was following her. Mikan wasn't sure how she knew, but it felt like she had a radar planted in the back of her head. Soon Mikan was travelling along at full speed. However, her endurance proved to be much weaker than her self-awareness. Mikan could feel fatigue ripple through her body and was forced to slow down. she came to a complete stop and doubled over. Her breathing was sharp and irregular. But no sooner had she stopped than she felt something hard bang against the back of her head. Mikan's world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruka watched as the girl came into view. A sigh escaped his mouth as he clicked off the car radio; the music had been battering his tired mind. Ruka turned his attention back to the girl. He saw flashes of Natsume as he stalked his prey. If you didn't know Natsume was there, you never would have seen him. But Ruka's trained eyes and long lasting friendship with the boy allowed him to pick up on Natsume's movements.

The girl glanced around as if concerned, then sped up. Ruka raised an eyebrow. If the girl could sense Natsume's presence than her blood must be more developed than they thought. Her endurance, on the other hand, looked like it could use some work. She soon tired and came to a stop. Natsume quickly appeared behind the girl and gave her a strong blow to the head with the hilt of his sword. The girl fell limply into Natsume's arms and he carried her over to the car. Ruka leaned back to open the passenger door for him. Natsume grunted thanks and laid the girl on the back seats.

"Did you really have to knock her out?" Ruka asked worriedly.

"Do you really think she would just skip up to the car and let us take her?" Natsume replied.

"You never know. Many wonderful things come out of asking nicely," Ruka joked. Natsume chuckled but didn't respond. Instead, he went around the car to the driver's seat and climbed in. Natsume briefly looked over at Ruka and sighed.

"You need sleep," he said bluntly.

"I know," said Ruka. It was true; Ruka hadn't had a moments rest for a good seventeen hours. Not only had his eyes become droopy, but his movements had become slow and sloppy and he found it hard to concentrate.

"I shouldn't have brought you with me," Natsume grunted. Ruka didn't respond, instead he looked out the window and watched the buildings pass. Finally Ruka turned back to Natsume.

"I'm not helpless," he started. "I can defend myself. But if you hadn't been there earlier I probably would have died, same with the students and teachers working at that school. I was too slow and even if I know it's because of lack of sleep I'm still angry at myself."

"Just forget about it," Natsume advised. "When we get back, go straight to bed. I can handle the girl by myself. Trust me, you'll feel better after some rest."

-~-2-~-

Mikan woke in a dark room. After quick examination, she found that it was a bedroom. She waited for hers eyes to adjust to the dark surroundings and then she got up and searched for a light switch. It didn't take her very long. Soon after she tripped over what she presumed was a chair, she stumbled across a light switch. Mikan flicked it on and took in her surroundings. To her surprise, the room was oddly white. The walls, the door, the furniture, even the chandelier. But it wasn't completely white. Accents of royal blue were scattered throughout the room. Like the blue pillows on the bed, or the flowers in the white vase. Everything just seemed so majestic. Mikan's awe did not last long for the door on the other side of the room banged open. Mikan took one look at the intruder and gasped.

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the man in front of her. The boy smirked and took a seat on one of the chairs.

"You!" Mikan repeated. "You said you work with a security squad or something. Was that all a lie? Are you really some murderer rapist that steals teenage girls and rapes them? Answer me!"

Natsume chuckled which only made Mikan's anger worse. "I assure you that what I said before is true," he replied. "It just wasn't the full truth." Mikan narrowed her eyes. She really didn't like were this was going.

"I don't trust you," She said warily.

"I can see why," Natsume replied nonchalantly. "Unfortunately you are going to have to trust me right now. Let's start with something simple, why don't you tell me your name."

"No, I don't think I'll do that. You see, my mother told me not to talk to strangers. The fact that you have kidnapped me does not place you any higher on my list of trustful people. So I don't think that I will tell you that piece of information," Mikan stated firmly. Natsume stared at her with his cool, crimson eyes. He didn't let even a single emotion get by them. That is, until he smirked again. Amusement flickered across his face-something that made Mikan very concerned-and he stood up.

"Well, I guess polka will do for now. Oh, and a suggestion; wear longer shorts," He said.

Mikan stared at him for a second, slowly comprehending what was saying. Then it clicked. Mikan slowly looked down at her shorts. She had to say, they were pretty short. It was the consequence of not doing her laundry last night. They were her last pair. Horror shot through her as she realised that they had risen up enough to reveal a peep of her wonderfully polka doted underpants.

"You! You! You perverted molest!" Mikan screamed.

"Well, now that we have our names down we should move on to the more serious topic," Natsume said calmly. "You know that the security squad protects the citizens from monsters. We hunt them at night so that they don't become over populated. Or, that's what you've been told," Natsume continued on a more serious note. He looked at her darkly and Mikan had a horrible feeling that she didn't want to know the whole truth. She just wanted to leave.

"What about the monsters make them monsters?" Natsume inquired. Mikan was a bit taken aback.

"Aren't you supposed to be the expert on that sort of stuff?" Mikan asked confusedly.

Natsume rolled his eyes and answered, "I'm testing your knowledge idiot."

"Oh…" said Mikan. She decided to ignore the idiot part of what Natsume had said. She guessed that complaining about it wasn't going to get her anywhere. Instead she focused on what she knew about the monsters. "Well," Mikan started. "The monsters feed off human blood. They can't stand sunlight so they sleep during the day and hunt at night. The part that makes them monsters would probably be… hm… well they do kill humans so…" Mikan pandered it over a bit more. She stole a glance at Natsume and was surprised to see that he was nodding ever so slightly as if to agree with what she was saying. Mikan thought about the monster that had attacked earlier. It definitely looked bad, what with its sunken eyes and papery pale skin. Mikan thought a bit harder, what about them made them monsters? And then it clicked. It was the _fangs. _"And they have fangs!" Mikan yelled very loudly. At this, Natsume looked up at her. Instead of saying anything, he slowly opened his mouth. Mikan watched in horror as his canine teeth seemed to elongate. The guy had retractable fangs!

"You!" Mikan yelled for about the third time. "You're like them! You, you… you're a monster! Does Ruka know? Oh god I'm going to DIE!"

"Shutup polka," Natsume growled. "I'm not a monster, I'm a vampire. And of course Ruka knows, he's one too. Everyone on the security squad is. Monsters are fallen forms of Vampires." Natsume said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mikan bit back the urge to yell at him again. Instead, she forced herself to remain calm. Mikan opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the door swinging open. In the doorway was a girl about her age. Mikan's first impression of her was that she reminded Mikan of Natsume. She had the same short black hair and a cool aura that seemed to say, "Don't mess with me or I'll give you hell." But the most intriguing part was that her eyes were not crimson like Natsume's, but a purple colour, like amethyst.

"Hyuuga," she greeted curtly.

"Imai," Natsume returned the greeting. "I assume that your shoulder is feeling better."

"I'm fine," the girl replied icily.

The girl then pulled a needle from her pocket and walked over to Mikan.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing with that?" Mikan asked cautiously. "I'm not sure if you know but I really hate needles." Apparently Imai didn't care because she stuck the needle into Mikan's arm and extracted a good amount of blood.

"Hey! I didn't give you permission to stick that in my arm!" Mikan yelled. The girl gave her a death stare that made Mikan shut her mouth.

"Hyuuga, hold this," the girl demanded. She handed the needle over to Natsume without waiting for a response. She then walked over to a desk and pulled out a small tray and a bottled of clear liquid. The girl filled the tray with the liquid and then motioned for Natsume to give her the needle. Natsume silently complied. The girl then let some of the blood drip into the tray. As the blood mixed with the liquid, it started to turn a deep shade of purple.

"Just as we thought," said the girl. "She's has vampire blood."

"Wait, what?" Mikan shrieked.

"Hyuuga, you really need to teach this girl to shutup." The girl stated.

"I know" Natsume replied.

"I want to know what's going on!" Mikan complained. The girl sighed and turned back to Mikan.

"This," Hotaru held up the bottle containing the clear liquid, "Is a substance I created. It burns the cells in vampire blood causing them to let off a gas called VC-amp. This gas makes the blood look purple." As if that helped. Mikan wanted to know why the hell she was a vampire, not why her blood was purple.

"Can someone please explain this whole vampire thing to me? I mean, last time I checked, vampires were fiction like zombies and werewolves," Mikan chattered. The girl that Mikan still didn't know the name of didn't reply. Instead, she disposed of the needle and tray and slipped the bottle into her pocket. She then headed over to the door. Just before she left, she turned her head around to face Natsume.

"Oh, just to let you know, Ruka went out hunting. He mumbled something about going alone," the girl informed. Dark worry danced across Natsume's eyes. He cursed quietly under his breath but then regained his composure.

"I'll deal with it when he gets back," Natsume replied. The girl nodded and then left. Natsume sat down and took a deep breath. Mikan guessed that he was under a lot of stress. But the cold, nonchalant person Mikan had met soon returned. "So," he said. "You probably want some sort of explanation. Well you better listen up because I'm not explaining twice. Around a hundred and fifty years ago monsters didn't exist. It was just humans and vampires. The vampires of that time fed of human blood to quench their thirst."

"You mean they killed humans? That's terrible!" Mikan cried.

"It's how they survived," Natsume responded. Mikan forced herself to calm down. This conversation would take all night if she kept interrupting. Natsume continued, "But not all vampires wanted to kill the humans. My great, great grandfather was one of them. He held a high position among the vampire government. He was able to pass law that Vampires were no longer allowed to hunt the humans. Instead they would hunt animals like the humans did. Most of the vampires were outraged. To them it was folly to hunt for animals when human blood was much more substantial. Some of the angriest vampires protested in an unimaginable way. They drank each other's blood." Mikan drank in the information. She had understood everything so far, except one thing.

"Why is drinking vampire blood so bad?" Mikan asked.

"When a vampire drinks another vampire's blood, multiple things happen. First, that vampire develops a very strong craving for the other's blood. Secondly, that vampire will develop a lack of common sense. They will do things carelessly and their movements become feckless. Even their appearance changes," Natsume stared at Mikan with hard eyes. "When a vampire drinks another vampires blood, they start to turn into a monster." Mikan's eyes widened.

"So that means that those vampires who drank each other blood…"

"Were the first monsters," Natsume finished her sentence. Mikan thought it over. It explained a lot of things, but it didn't explain her vampire blood. Another question entered Mikan's head. "Natsume, doesn't the public know about vampires?"

Natsume sighed as if the question was a stupid one but he answered, "Polka, we vampires did once make ourselves know to the public. But this was back before the monsters. The humans wouldn't come near us; why would they? We fed off them and killed them. A vampire bite is deadly to a human. When the monsters came, the humans were furious at us. They started to stand up against us and fight back. Many of our kind perished in the struggle. It was then that our high officials decided that we go into hiding and only come out at night. Our new source of blood was no longer animals, but monsters. Monster blood does not carry the same effects that vampire blood did. We had found a way to preserve our race and keep the monsters under control." Mikan nodded. It made sense, what the vampires did.

"My last question is why am I a vampire?"

Natsume lay back in his chair and tilted his head back as if bored. He stayed like that for a few seconds before saying, "You're only a half vampire. From what I know about you I'm guessing that you never knew your father. It's typical for half-bloods to grow up with one parent." Mikan flinched. It was true, she never knew her father. It made her more angry than sad. From what her mother told her, her father had left her soon after she became pregnant.

"It's true. I never once met my father. He was gone well before I was born." Mikan said through gritted teeth.

"You shouldn't be mad at him," said Natsume. "It's very hard for a vampire to settle down with a human. Vampires mustn't reveal their identity to anyone. It's the law. Because of this, many vampires are forced to abandon any humans they've become associated with. Besides, if he had stayed, his scent would have attracted many monsters. Monsters prefer to feed of vampire blood when they can but that wouldn't stop them from killing you and your mother while they were at it." Mikan thought about what Natsume had said. If it was true, then Mikan shouldn't have felt so angry. But she just couldn't let go of her anger that easily.

"Polka, you have to realise that half-bloods are very different from vampires. They don't start behaving like vampires until they're sixteen." Mikan cocked her head to the side. It was around her sixteenth birthday that she had started feeling weird. Her speed and awareness increased and she even _felt_ stronger than before.

"Why does it take sixteen years for that to happen?" Mikan wondered out loud.

"Evolution. We believe that half-bloods have evolved to delay their vampire senses. But it's not just the senses that are delayed. When a half-blood is born, it is born with a certain amount of vampire cells. This amount is so small; monsters can't smell the vampire blood. This protects the half-blood until its old enough to take care of itself. But once a half blood turns sixteen, the cells start multiplying at an incredibly fast pace. And the more vampire cells you have in your blood, the more your senses and habits will change. Basically, once you hit sixteen you will start to turn into a vampire." Natsume concluded. Mikan sat back and thought about everything Natsume had told her. It had been a lot of information and Mikan was struggling to remember all of it.

"So will I grow fangs or something and start craving blood?"

"At some point in time, yes. But the exact time is different for all half-bloods. It could take a week, or it could take several months." Natsume stood up. "I've given you enough to think about. I'll have someone grab you for dinner. We'll finish the conversation then." And without another word he made for the door.

"Wait!" Mikan called after him. Natsume turned around, annoyance flickering through his eyes. Mikan took a deep breath and said, "My name is Mikan, Mikan Sakura." After everything that Natsume had told her, Mikan had figured he was not a rapist. So she didn't have to worry about her virginity. Although she became concerned when Natsume smirked at her.

"It's ok," he said. "I prefer polka." And with that, Natsume walked out and shut the door behind him. Mikan had to struggle the urge to run after him and throttle him. It was clear now that she _did _still have to worry about her virginity because that boy just made it onto her list of people she didn't trust.


	3. Chapter 3

Mikan flopped down onto the bed. Her head was spinning with information which made it feel like her mind was going to explode. Mikan let out a deep sigh. This was not the way she had wanted to spend her Friday. The weekend had been taunting her all week; it got closer and closer and now it was gone. Thinking about the days made Mikan wonder what time it was. She looked around the room for a clock of some sort. She found no such thing. Mikan thought harder, there must be _something_ she could use to indicate the time.

"Oh yeah!" Mikan said to herself. She could use her cell phone! The problem was that her cell phone was in her school bag. And after brief inspection she came to the conclusion that her bag wasn't in the room. It must be outside. Mikan headed to the door and tried the door handle. It was locked, _great. _Natsume had locked her in. Mikan tried to keep her anger from bubbling over. It really bothered her how that Hyuuga kid seemed to think he could do whatever he wanted. Not to mention the little incident with her underwear. Yup, that Natsume guy was dead once she got her hands on him. Directing her attention back to what time it was Mikan took another glance around the room. She took in the bed, the dresser, the vase and well decorated walls which paintings and curtains hung from. Wait, _curtains!_ Mikan hurried over to the curtains and flung them open. Behind them was a huge window with a window seat. But Mikan didn't notice that until she took a look at what was outside the window; darkness. Mikan knew it was the winter and all but it seemed awfully dark for dinnertime. Wow, these vampires were really weird.

-~-3-~-

Natsume pulled the scarf tighter around his neck and face. The cold winter wind was battering him like a battering ram. He didn't care though, he was waiting for someone. He leaned back against the mansion's gate and watched snowflakes fall down from the sky. The lamp posts illuminated the tiny flakes as they fell to the ground. After a long while, a figure began to emerge from the snowy void. Natsume tensed and put a hand to his sword. He had learned from years of experience that you could never be too careful. But Natsume calmed down once he recognized the figure. A limp body was hung over the boy's shoulder.

"Did you have a nice hunt Ruka?" Natsume called out.

Ruka looked up at stared at Natsume for a few seconds before responding tensely, "It was satisfactory." Natsume's eyes blazed with anger.

"Ruka, what the hell were you thinking? I told you to go rest, not to hunt. And why the hell did you go alone? You could have been killed!" Natsume scolded.

"Natsume, I did sleep. You can stop worrying about everything I do. You hunt by yourself don't you?" Ruka pointed out. "Listen I-"

"Ruka," Natsume snarled. He had no interest in dragging out this conversation. "There's a difference. I carry the burden of looking after all the vampires in Asia. It's my job to worry about you. And sometimes keeping up with you is harder than keeping up with the rest of the world. Now go back inside. I'm giving you a three day suspension. Don't leave the grounds or I will have to take more serious measures." Ruka gave up trying to argue. He knew that he wouldn't be able to change his friend's mind. Instead, he hulled his prey inside the mansion and headed off to the kitchen.

Mikan got up when she heard a strong knock at the door. Expecting it would be that Hyuuga boy, she made sure her shorts weren't revealing anything. Mikan then called out to say he could come in. She was surprised however when the person at the door was not Natsume, but a girl with long midnight blue hair. Her eyes seemed to be the same colour as her hair and they shimmered with friendliness.

"You must be the new half-blood Natsume has been talking about!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Aw man! Really? You heard about me from Natsume? You know, I really hate that idiot. What did he tell you anyway?" Mikan complained. The girl let out a light chuckle and smiled.

"He said that you were a halfblood and that I should sit with you at dinner. He also told me to answer every stupid question that enters your tiny brain. His words not mine," she replied which made Mikan growl angrily.

"I told you I hate him!" she yelled.

"He takes a bit of getting used to," the girl agreed. "But once you get to know him he's really not that bad." Mikan rolled her eyes very exaggeratingly.

"Yeah right, like I could ever put up with him. Oh and by the way, my name is Mikan Sakura," said Mikan.

"Nonoko," The girl said happily. "And I think you need some dinner. It's easier to be happy on a full stomach." Mikan felt a smile slip onto her face, so not all Vampires were total jerks. In fact, Mikan was really starting to like Nonoko. Her happy aura reminded Mikan of her childhood friend Anna. They just seemed to have so much in common.

"See, you look better already!" Nonoko chirped. Mikan beamed and followed the girl outside. She was surprised to see that the hallway was much darker than the bedroom. The walls were made out of dark grey bricks and the floor consisted of black wood. It seemed like the complete opposite of the bedroom. As if she read her mind Nonoko said, "Not all of mansion looks this gloomy."

"Mansion?" Mikan asked, surprised.

"Yeah, this place is pretty big. But don't worry; you'll learn to find your way around." Nonoko reassured. Mikan gulped. It sounded as if Nonoko was expecting her to stay for a while. Mikan didn't like it. She wanted to be home right now at her dining room table. Her mom would be home and they would be talking and laughing over her mom's kindergarten students. Or maybe it was later in the evening. If it was, Mikan would be snuggled up in her own bed with that stuffed bear she had since she was five. Which reminded her…

"Hey Nonoko, do you know what time it is?" Mikan asked.

Nonoko shrugged then answered, "Not exactly. But dinner starts at three thirty so…"

"Three thirty! Don't you think that's a bit early?" Mikan exclaimed.

"Nah, were nocturnal so having dinner early in the morning works with our schedule," Nonoko pointed out.

"Wait, in the morning? You have dinner at three thirty in the _morning_?" Mikan asked disbelievingly. Nonoko laughed.

"As I said, were nocturnal. It just works the way we do it."

Mikan contemplated what Nonoko had said. The more she thought about, the more she realized Nonoko was right. Nodding slowly, Mikan followed Nonoko to dinner.

-~-3-~-

Dinner turned out to be a lot different than what Mikan thought it would be. She didn't realize that so many vampires attended dinner. As Nonoko explained, a number of vampires lived 'on campus' which meant either in the mansion or in one of the houses surrounding the area. Only the vampires living in the mansion attended breakfast and lunch, instead the others ate at their own houses. But all vampires living 'on campus' attended dinner. When Mikan asked why Nonoko told her that dinner was the meal that the vampires drank blood and everyone drank it together. Mikan had shivered at that. She didn't think she'd ever be able to drink actual blood. It seemed way too creepy. "Trust me," Nonoko said, "It tastes way better than it looks." Mikan pretended to barf.

"So how is dinner served?" Mikan asked. "Is it like a buffet?"

"No, every Vampire takes turns serving the others. It's a tradition that we've passed along down generations of vampires. It will make more sense after you've been to a few dinners." Nonoko opened the door to the dining hall and Mikan stepped in. The room was very large. Its walls were a deep shade of red and the floor was made of dark brown wood. Vampires sat all around the two large tables in the centre of the room. At the end of the room was a platform on which a third, smaller table sat. Mikan gasped. Natsume sat at the middle of the third table.

"What's Natsume doing there?" Mikan pointed to Natsume "Is that a special table or something?" Nonoko looked over to where Mikan was pointing.

"You didn't know?" Nonoko asked surprised.

"Know what?" Mikan responded with another question.

"Natsume is head of the first council," said Nonoko. "Here, let's go sit down and I'll explain everything." Mikan nodded and followed Nonoko over to a table. Once they sat down, Nonoko turned back to Mikan.

"So," Nonoko started. "The Vampire government is made up of seven councils. These councils are spread out all across the world. In fact, there is one council per continent."

"Having one government per continent sounds kind of hard," Mikan interrupted.

Nonoko chuckled, "Well there isn't that many of us out there. There are about sixty vampires living on the campus of the first council. There are about twenty more scattered throughout Japan and around twenty more living in the rest of Asia. You see, Vampires tend to stick pretty close to one of the councils. But anyway, about thirty years ago the vampires wanted to know about the conditions the rest of the world were living under. So they sent out six groups of vampires to different parts of the world. The vampires came back with news saying that there were monsters all over the world but no other vampires. This lead the council to believe that there were once other groups of vampires but they turned themselves into monsters and wiped themselves out. It became clear that monsters weren't just fallen forms of vampires. They were their own species." Mikan listened while playing with a fork. She pressed down on one end and watched the other leap up into the air. It seemed stupid but was actually mildly amusing. Nonoko looked at Mikan worriedly as if she thought Mikan was bored. This was not the case, Mikan just liked to fiddle with things.

"Continue," Mikan instructed.

"Ok then. Well, the six groups returned to their respective places and colonized if you will. They wanted to keep the monster population under control so they made six new councils to rule different areas of the world."

"Hm," Mikan pandered. "So why is Natsume up there again?"

"As I said, he's the head of the first council. He's the leader, like presidents and stuff." Nonoko answered. Mikan stared at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Natsume is a _leader_," said Mikan, making sure to put extra emphasise on the word leader. "Would you care to explain to me what kind of leadership skills Natsume possesses that would earn him such a title?"

Nonoko chuckled, "Natsume has royal blood. Unlike the people of your time, Vampires of the first council are still ruled by kings and queens. But instead of Kings or queens, we call our ruler the head of council." Mikan nodded and was about to reply when a loud ring of a bell echoed throughout the room. It startled Mikan and made her look around. The chatter in the room fell quiet and Natsume stood up.

"I welcome you all here tonight under the stars of our ancestors. Together we drink the blood of our prey as we celebrate another successful hunt. As one we hunt and as one we gather," Natsume's voice echoed throughout the room.

"As one," all the other vampires answered back.

Nonoko leaned over and whispered in Mikan's ear, "It's like a vampire grace." Before Mikan could reply Natsume continued taking.

"Today is a special day, today we welcome a new half-blood into our council. We will take care of her and honor her as one of our own. Mikan Sakura, please rise to receive your welcoming." A chorus of applaud chimed throughout the room. Mikan felt like shrinking back into her seat as whole new wave of homesickness washed over her.

"Stand up." Nonoko hissed into her ear. Mikan didn't want to. She wanted to run far, far away. She wanted to return home and go to sleep and pretend none of this ever happened. Of course, she didn't. Instead she stood like she was told to and gazed upon the vampires in the room. Some looked at her with friendliness and encouragement. Others seemed to drill holes In Mikan's head with death glares. Mikan gulped and clenched the table cloth of the table. Once the clapping died down, Mikan returned to her seat.

"That wasn't that bad was it," Nonoko encouraged.

"It was terrible," Mikan argued. "I felt like I was going to faint any moment." Nonoko laughed it off and started to engage in conversation with the vampires around her. Mikan ignored most of this. Instead she focused on the rest of the room. Five vampires were walking around holding jugs of red liquid. They stopped at each vampire and filled their glass. Mikan realized with a shutter that the liquid was blood. _Gross _she thought to herself.

"Hey Sakura!" someone greeted. Mikan turned toward the voice and was pleasantly surprised to see Ruka serving some vampires.

"Ruka!" Mikan exclaimed. Nonoko must have been startled by Mikan's voice because she looked over at the two.

"Ruka, I didn't know you went hunting," said Nonoko in a shocked tone.

"I needed to get out," Ruka replied sheepishly. Nonoko nodded and went back to her conversation.

"So do those who went hunting serve the others?" Mikan asked.

"Yup, that's right," Ruka answered. "The vampires who go hunting have their share of blood as soon as they kill their prey," Ruka explained. Ruka took Nonoko's glass and filled it, emptying his jug.

"I don't have to drink any, right?" Mikan asked worriedly.

"Of course not," Ruka replied with a smile. "Do you want water or grape juice?"

"Just water will be good," Mikan said with a sigh of relief. Ruka nodded and hurried off with her glass and the empty jug. Mikan noticed that the other waiters were now carrying trays of food. They stopped at each vampire and offered them some. Most accepted although some kindly declined.

"Would you like some roast beef?" a voice behind her asked. Mikan turned around yet again to see a brown eyed kid with glasses. He carried a silver tray adorned with slices of roast beef. He looked friendly enough, what with his cheerful smile and warm, welcoming eyes.

"Uh… yes please," Mikan replied awkwardly. The boy merely smiled and served her the meat. He then turned to Nonoko and offered her some as well.

"Yuu!" Nonoko exclaimed when she saw the boy. "I'd love some! Oh, how is your family doing? Is your sister feeling better? I heard she had a nasty cold!"

"She's alright. She's seen better days but she'll be fine," Yuu replied with a chuckle.

"Well tell her I said hi!" Nonoko giggled. Yuu nodded and went off to serve the other people. Mikan watched as Nonoko launched into yet another conversation. Mikan felt a bit left out. Nonoko was so charismatic that she just glided through conversations. Mikan however, felt socially awkward.

"Isn't that right Mikan?" Nonoko asked out of the blue. Mikan blinked, she had not been paying attention to a thing Nonoko had been saying.

"Um-" Mikan was saved from responding when Ruka glided over with her glass of water.

"Thank you!" Mikan chimed.

"You're very welcome," Ruka replied with a grin. Mikan watched him leave with a twinge of sadness in her chest. So far out of everyone she met Ruka was the person she found easiest to be around. He had an open kind of kindness that made her feel accepted.

Some other waiters came around in the next few minutes. Mikan gladly accepted some salad and mashed potatoes. Nonoko pointed out that you could start eating whenever you wanted, but most vampires waited until they were served their whole meal. Mikan took a bite of the potatoes and moaned I happiness; the food was delicious!

"I see you're enjoying your meal," Nonoko chuckled. Mikan replied with a grin (her mouth was full of food) and continued eating. The other food seemed just as good. Mikan started contributing to Nonoko's conversations. She answered question with enthusiasm and laughed at Nonoko's jokes. Mikan was starting to feel as if she had found a second home. A place where she could be herself without the worry that Wakoko or one of her friends would shove stuff down her back or put embarrassing notes on her back. But dinner seemed to end all too soon. The vampires started to slowly trickle out of the dining hall. Eventually even Nonoko got up and stretched.

"Natsume told me that he wanted to have a word with you after dinner so I suggest that you stay here," she said. Mikan made a sound that sounded like a sigh and a grunt mixed together. Nonoko gave her a sympathetic look before saying, "Well, I best be off. It was really nice meeting you!"

"You too!' Mikan replied with a smile. Nonoko smiled then left. Mikan sat back and let her mind wander. She thought about what happened over the last twenty four hours and what her mother was probably doing right now. Sighing, Mikan watched the last vampires exit the room before glancing over to Natsume. Surprisingly he seemed as bored as she was.

"Hey polka," Natsume called out across the room. Mikan's cheeks flared a fiery red.

"I have a name you know!" she replied angrily. Natsume rolled his eyes then got up and walked over to Mikan.

"Hey polka," he repeated. "I think we need to get some things straight."

"Like what? My name maybe? Or maybe the fact that you have a really crappy attitude," Mikan growled.

"I was thinking more along the lines of your future," Natsume replied calmly. Mikan's ears perked up. This was a conversation she had been waiting to have.

"So what am I doing here exactly?"

"You are here mainly because we don't want monsters attacking you before you are ready to deal with them." Natsume explained.

Mikan raised an eyebrow. "And are you going to train me or something?"

"Yes actually, I am. Not just me, but Hotaru and Ruka will probably help out. We will train you to fight monsters so you won't be so helpless."

"Hotaru?" Mikan asked quizzically.

"Hotaru Imai. She's the one who tested your blood earlier."

"She's the creepy needle woman!" Mikan gasped.

Natume ignored that last comment and continued, "Polka, you have to realize that you will never return to the life you once had. You have Vampire blood and that means that you attract monsters easily. You are safest inside these walls. It's not just you but also your friends and family. And whatever you do you cannot let anyone know about the vampires. It's likely that you will never see or speak to your family ever again."

Mikan stared blankly at Natsume. Some part of her was saying that this was all a lie, or a dream. That she would wake up in the morning in her own bed and go to school. She and Anna would talk about possible ways to get revenge on Wakoko or about that math test they had coming up. Part of Mikan wanted to pretend that none of this was happening. But another part of Mikan knew that her life was never going to be the same. That she most likely was never going to step foot in her high school again and that her mother would never know where her lost daughter had went.

"My mom…My mom will look for me," Mikan stated firmly. A salty tear rolled down Mikan's cheek.

"And that is why you will lay low for the next few months. After a while they will give up looking for you. In a few years you will be able to go pretty much wherever you want as long as you don't bump into anyone you know." Natsume said nonchalantly. Mikan felt more tears roll down her face.

"No," she whispered. "No, I-I…no I" Mikan was at a loss for words. The information was coming in too fast. She felt like she was drowning in despair.

"It's a lot to take in, but you're going to have to live with it," said Natsume. Mikan didn't try to reply. She sat there like a broken child who had lost everything she knew. A gruff hand pulled her arm and she realized Natsume was pulling her to her feet.

"Polka, stop crying, it makes you look ugly." Mikan growled at him but didn't say a word. She tried to hold back her tears but it was useless. Natsume started to pull her out of the room. Mikan didn't struggle against him but instead followed behind him. It wasn't long before she reached her room.

"Go to bed and sleep. I'll get someone to wake you in the morning," said Natsume. Mikan nodded and turned the door handle though she stopped midway through when a thought popped into her head.

"Hey Natsume, can I have my cell phone back?" she asked chokingly.

Natsume replied with a sigh, "Not until I'm positive you won't call anyone." Mikan sniffled and went into her room. She seemed to pass out the moment she pulled the covers over herself. Mikan was lost in the world of dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Just an author's note**; I've added an extra bit onto the end of this chapter. I also changed some number in chapter four. It's where Nonoko is talking about the number of vampires that actually live in Asia.

* * *

Mikan woke up to see light shining through her bedroom window. She ran over and looked outside. The sun was high in the sky, right near the zenith. So, it was around noon. A sudden wave of boredom washed over Mikan. She looked around the room to see if there was anything to do. Mikan thought about leaving the room but she remembered what Natsume had told her last night; he would send someone to get her. A sigh escaped Mikan's lips and bounced around the room. She knew that Natsume would probably be really mad if she went anywhere. So instead, Mikan walked over to a bookshelf that was across the room. She scanned the book titles and was surprised to see that most of them were either fairy tales of fables. Stories of princesses and knights in shining armour laced he book shelf. But the book that caught Mikan's eye was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She pulled the book of the shelf and examined it. The book's cover looked worn as if it had been read thousands of times. A red ribbon bookmark peeped out through the bottom of the book marking an unread page. Mikan flipped open the front cover. Inside someone had written in long, loopy hand writing, _Dear Aoi, I think you will enjoy this one! I wish you the dearest of wishes on your birthday. From, your loving brother._ Mikan had to read the message over a couple of times to decipher what it said. Her lips broke into a small smile when she finally figured out what it meant. Whoever the guy was, he sounded pretty sweet. Mikan walked over to the window seat and sat down. She flipped the page and started reading. Mikan had never read the book, although she had heard a lot about it. It started off with Alice chasing a rabbit through the rabbit hole. Mikan followed Alice on her adventure through the room with many doors, the rabbit's house, and even to the woods where she meets the caterpillar. Mikan had no idea how long she had been reading before the bedroom door opened without a knock. Mikan was so startled she dropped the book she had been reading.

"It's just me you idiot," said a voice. Mikan bent down and picked up the book. She then turned toward the door and saw Hotaru in the doorway holding several bags of stuff.

"Sorry, you startled me," Mikan replied sheepishly.

Hotaru ignored the comment and continued, "Well at least I don't have to wake you up. Although I suppose if you went to bed early like Natsume said than it makes sense that you are awake." Mikan didn't pay much attention to what Hotaru had said. She put the book down on the window seat and hurried over to Hotaru.

"So what are we doing now?" Mikan inquired cheerfully.

"Right now I'm here against my will to bring you the things you'll need to live here. Clothes, toiletries, and such." Hotaru answered in a monotone. Mikan realized that she had been so tired last night that she hadn't thought about the fact she had no pajamas. Mikan looked down at her gym clothes she was wearing from yesterday. _Ew, gross,_ she thought. Hotaru pulled the bags over to the bed and started to unpack the contents. She pulled out a bunch of clothes and sorted them into piles. Shirts were in one, pants and shorts in another, and finally pajamas and underwear in the last. Mikan noticed that at least half of the clothing was stuff like sweatpants and baggy shirts or in other words, stuff she would wear to the gym. The rest were nicer clothes like dress pants and blouses and there were even a couple pairs of jeans and some regular graphic tees. "When you wake up in the morning, change into clothes like these," Hotaru advised while holding up a pair of track pants and a baggy shirt. "You'll be heading to training right after breakfast. Later in the day you can come back, shower, and put something nice on for dinner."

Mikan nodded and took the set Hotaru was holding. "I'll be back in a sec," Mikan said then rush toward the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later with her dirty clothes in her hand. Hotaru had already started filling the drawers with the other articles of clothing. Mikan threw her dirty clothes in the laundry bag Hotaru brought over and went over to help the girl put the other clothes away. Once it was done, Hotaru gave Mikan a bag of toiletries she could put in her washroom. Mikan didn't have time to put them away though because Hotaru had already pulled her out of her room and down the hall.

"Hey Hotaru, can you just tell me were leaving next time instead of dragging me out?" Mikan complained.

"Whatever," Hotaru muttered while she continued to drag Mikan along behind her. Mikan eventually freed herself from Hotaru's grip and walked alongside the raven haired girl.

"So is breakfast like dinner?" Mikan asked.

"No," Hotaru replied.

"Do people serve you?"

"No."

"Is it like a buffet?"

"Yes."

"Can you give me longer answers?"

"No."

"Hotaru!' Mikan whined.

"Shut up idiot," Hotaru sighed. Mikan grudgingly complied and followed Hotaru to the dining hall in silence.

-~-4-~-

The dining hall was just as grand as Mikan remembered it to be. The two tables were still in the centre of the room and the smaller table was on the platform. This time however, several buffet tables were pushed against the back of the room and were holding many different food dishes. The familiar scent of bacon and eggs wafted around the room. Mikan inhaled deeply and sighed in delight. Without waiting for Hotaru, Mikan ran over to the buffet and grabbed a plate. There were many different dishes and they all looked amazing. Mikan filled her plate with toast, bacon, omelet and some house fries and then turned back to look for Hotaru. After scanning the room, Mikan found her sitting near the end of the first table beside a blonde haired boy. Mikan rushed over to them and sat down beside Hotaru.

"Hotaru I found you! And who is this?" Mikan chirped as she sat down. She turned to the boy and saw a familiar pair of blue eyes. "Oh Ruka! It's you! I didn't notice at first, silly me." A few of the vampires nearby glanced over at Mikan with faces of surprise and amusement.

"Quiet down idiot, you're making a scene," Hotaru muttered. Mikan blushed and mumbled an apology. It wasn't her fault that she was normally quite loud.

"Oh Hotaru, give her a break! She just got here," Ruka chuckled. Hotaru didn't reply but instead started eating some scrambled eggs. "Oh don't be bothered by her!" Ruka reassured. "Hotaru is a tough cookie but once you get on her good side she'll take good care of you."

"Say what you want Nogi but that girl is a noisy brat," Hotaru stated bluntly. Mikan had heard the same words many times over and over from many different people. It was the downside of being so bright and cheerful.

"Don't worry Mikan; she was like this to me when I first met her. Hotaru will open up, trust me," Ruka said with a grin.

"I won't worry at all!" Mikan cheered. Ruka laughed and dug into his French toast. Mikan followed suit and started to eat her breakfast which happened to be just as delicious as dinner had been. The bacon wasn't too crisp or too greasy, the toast was done just right, and the eggs weren't over cooked or undercooked.

"Hey Ruka, who does the cooking around here?" Mikan asked after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"The kitchen staff do. They're very talented aren't they?" Ruka replied. Mikan had just stuffed her mouth with more food so instead of answering she nodded eagerly. Once Mikan had finished her plate, she got up and put them on a pile of dirty dishes. Mikan then wandered back over to Hotaru and Ruka. They had started up a conversation when she left but stopped abruptly when Mikan returned.

"You're going to follow me to the training room," Hotaru instructed and without another word she got up and walked away. Mikan ran after Hotaru excitedly. She wondered what her training would consist of. Mikan thought that it would probably include some sort of combat or fighting. How else was she supposed to hunt the monsters? It came as a shock when they entered an office and Hotaru told her to sit in a chair.

"Um, Hotaru, how is this going to prepare me for anything?" Mikan wondered out loud.

"Don't say anything unless I instruct you to. I am going to ask you a series of questions and I want you to answer as accurately as you can," Hotaru said bluntly. Mikan complied, sat down in the office chair and took a look around. She was sitting beside a messy desk that had papers scattered all over it. Numbers and equations were written on them and accompanied by elaborate diagrams. Hotaru gathered up the sheets and put them on a neat pile to the right of her desk. She then took a clip board and a pencil and sat down on a chair facing Mikan.

"So Mikan, when is your birthday?" Hotaru asked. Mikan gulped, she felt like she was being interrogated for a crime she never committed.

"Um, January first," Mikan stuttered.

Hotaru made a quick note on her clipboard and continued with, "When did you first start to feel a difference in your physical and mental capabilities?"

"A couple days after my birthday so, around five days ago," Mikan replied. Hotaru merely nodded and continued.

"Can you describe in detail what sort of changes you have felt?" Mikan thought for a moment. Her speed and strength had increased along with something that was hard to explain. It felt like she was more aware of her surroundings and where things were.

"My strength and speed have definitely improved. I also feel more aware of my surroundings. I can sometimes tell that things are happening without seeing them kind of… like just before I got knocked out. I could tell someone was following me." Hotaru raised an eyebrow and seemed almost impressed as she scribbled down some notes.

"You were able to tell that Natsume was following you?" She asked incredulously. Mikan just stared back at Hotaru as if she wasn't even sure herself.

"Um, yeah… I guess _wait_," Mikan stopped her sentence abruptly and looked at Hotaru with wide eyes. "It was Natsume who knocked me out? God dammit, why is it always him?" Mikan complained. Hotaru let a smile slip on to her face. She then set down her clip board and stood up.

"Come with me," Hotaru instructed.

"Where are we going?" Mikan asked in curiosity.

Hotaru walked to the door but turned her head over her shoulder and replied, "We are going to start you're real training."

-~-4-~-

Mikan stared in awe at the room she was standing in. The room was approximately half the size of her gym and was stocked from ceiling to floor with weapons.

"Welcome to the armoury," Hotaru stated. Mikan forced her mouth to close and hurried over to a rack of swords. She remembered how Natsume had killed the monster in the gym with his sword. Even though she hated to admit it, Natsume had looked pretty cool.

"Mikan, were not here for weapons," Hotaru reminded Mikan. Mikan sighed, Hotaru was right. Going through the armoury was the quickest way to the training area, or so, that's what Hotaru had said. Mikan hung her head and grudgingly followed Hotaru to the door at the other side of the room. Hotaru pushed the door open and Mikan walked through it. The room was the size of a large gymnasium and had an upstairs track looping around it. The far wall of the room was made of glass and behind it was a rock climbing wall. There were a number of different training apparatuses scattered throughout the room.

"Mikan, over here," Hotaru had already made her way toward an open spot of the room. Mikan quickly hurried over. "Stand where you are and face the door. Don't turn around until I say so," Hotaru said then walked behind Mikan.

"Huh? Why?" Mikan turned back to Hotaru.

"I told you not to turn around idiot," Hotaru scolded.

"Fine, fine," Mikan muttered. Honestly speaking, she wasn't really liking the situation. Mikan didn't completely trust Hotaru; she seemed too self-centred. But hey, at least she wasn't a stuck up snob. Mikan faced the door and tried to think about something besides the fact that Hotaru was behind her. A number of different things came into her head. She thought about counting in her head but gave up once she got to ten. Mikan hated numbers. She thought about her mom and her friends, not that she had many. Her best friend Anna was probably wondering where the hell she was and her mom was definitely worried sick.

Mikan's train of thought was interrupted when she thought she heard the faintest click. Mikan froze. She felt like something was flying toward the back of her head. Hotaru had told her not to turn around but honestly, she rather deal with Hotaru's anger opposed to a big lump on back of her head. After a split second, Mikan dodged to the side. Her instincts were right; something had been flying toward her. A small, round projectile flew past Mikan and hit the wall in front of her.

"I thought I told you not to turn around," Hotaru said calmly.

"You just shot something at me at me going who knows how many kilometres an hour and you tell me not to move?" Mikan exclaimed. "That could have killed me!"

"It wouldn't have killed you. It just would have left an ugly bruise on your head," Hotaru replied without a hint of emotion.

"So? I still would have gone through a lot of pain!"

"Well, good thing you got out of the way in time."

"Hotaru!"

Hotaru didn't reply. She was reaching into her pocket to pull something out. It was a stop watch. "Mikan, before we start working with weapons we need to know what your fitness level is. We are going to do a series of tests and I want you to try as hard as you can," Hotaru explained. Mikan gulped. It wasn't that she didn't like fitness, it was just, well, she wasn't very good at it.

The next half hour was torture. They started by seeing how many of a certain exercise Mikan could do in a minute. She managed do twenty push ups. By Mikan's standards, that was amazing. By vampire standards, it was very poor.

"You've got a lot of work ahead of you," Hotaru had grumbled when Mikan asked how she did. Mikan did a bit better at sit-ups but was still lacking in the skill category. They did a number of other exercises that left Mikan so tired she could barely move.

"Alright, I think that's enough for now. We'll resume after lunch," Hotaru said with a sigh.

"After lunch? Why not tomorrow, or like, in a week." Mikan whined.

"Mikan, you need to improve fast because the sooner you can look after yourself the better," Hotaru replied coolly. Mikan sighed and got to her feet but stumbled back when she felt her head spin. Hotaru handed her a water bottle and Mikan drained it effortlessly. Slowly but surely Mikan felt a bit of strength return to her limbs.

"You ready?" Hotaru didn't even wait for an answer, she just left. Mikan panicked and quickly hurried after her.

-~-4-~-

Mikan fell on her bed after a hard day's work. After lunch she and Hotaru had proceeded back to the training room. There they had worked on Mikan's endurance by making Mikan run as many laps as she possibly could. Mikan felt like she would collapse any second but she tried as hard as she could. When dinner finally rolled around Mikan probably would have jumped for joy if she had more energy. After dinner Mikan returned to her room and got ready for bed. She snuggled up Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and read until her eyes felt like they were going to fall out. Mikan placed the book on her bed-side table and switched off the light. She was asleep before she could even count to twenty.

-~-4-~-

Hotaru entered her room and sat down at her work table. It had been a long day. Mikan started her training earlier and Hotaru had been put in charge of it. Hotaru knew she should feel honored for being put in charge of such a big project but honestly, she felt like she got stuck in hell. Mikan needed a lot of work and Hotaru was notorious for being lazy. Hotaru let out a small sigh. At least she could now relax and focus on her pistols. Hotaru picked up one of her beloved pistols and examined it. The double pistols were her personal weapons and proved fatal against an unfortunate monster. But of course, they weren't just regular pistols. Both had been upgraded and modified numerous times by Hotaru. You see, Hotaru was an inventor; fiddling with the guns was one of her favourite pass times.

Hotaru had just started thinking about a way to make her weapons more deadly when she smelled a familiar scent drifting around her room. She subconsciously ejected her fangs and ran her tongue across them. Horrible memories filled her mind. They had called her a mutant at birth for something as simple as having an extra set of fangs. Hotaru had been shunned and thrown aside. If it wasn't for the old vampire that took her in she would never have made it more than a few days.

The doubled pistols Hotaru had been working on dropped to her desk with a thud. The scent grew stronger and stronger as the source approached her room.

"Damn you Ruka," Hotaru muttered. No sooner had the words escaped her lips then a loud knock echoed throughout the room. Hotaru sluggishly got up and opened her door. "What do you want?" Hotaru asked in annoyance.

"Is that how you treat me after all these years?" Ruka joked. Hotaru shook her head and motioned for him to come inside. Hotaru found it hard being around Ruka. The scent of his blood stuck out to her like a red rose in a sea of dandelions. His sweet scent muffled the voice inside her telling her to be her normal, cold self.

"You should really leave your room sometime; it would be good for you."

Hotaru grunted in response. She had heard the same advice from a number of different people. However it seemed like Ruka was the only person who actually cared in the end.

"I've been out all day training our new recruit," Hotaru informed Ruka. Not that it was necessary, Ruka already knew that.

"And it's a good thing too; Mikan has a positive effect on you." Hotaru raised an eyebrow at Ruka's statement.

"A _positive effect_?" Hotaru questioned.

Ruka sighed and explained in further detail, "I don't know what it is about her but you seem comfortable around her. I mean, you're not shooting her death glares every time she talks to you. That must count for something." Hotaru thought about what he said. A part of her knew Ruka was telling the truth. Mikan had a certain aura around her that readily accepted people with a bright smile.

"Anyway, I came to drop off the things you wanted," said Ruka while handing over a worn out school bag. Hotaru took the bag from him, flinching when his hand touched hers. Ruka, like normal, took no notice and continued, "You know, she won't like you looking through her stuff."

"I received orders from Natsume, I don't have a choice," Hotaru reminded Ruka.

"I know, I'm just saying that if she finds out, you'll be in some deep trouble." Hotaru ignored Ruka and started to look through the school bag. It mainly contained binders and notes but Hotaru did manage to find a cell phone.

"Well then, I'll leave you to your investigation," said Ruka. He then left, closing the door behind him. Hotaru's senses calmed down as Ruka's scent became fainter and fainter. A very faint trace of him still remained in the air. Hotaru inhaled deeply and let his sweet scent soak into her skin. Ruka really was one of a kind. It almost scared Hotaru. She feared that one day she would lose control of her own sanity.

_Ruka, how do manage to make me feel like I'm going insane? _


	5. Chapter 5

**Please Note; **I did add a bit onto chapter 5 a while back. If you haven't seen it already than I suggest you check it out.

* * *

Mikan awoke with a strange restlessness in her bones. She had been in the mansion for a mere two days yet it already felt like she had been trapped in it since birth. Mikan felt like she had been shut in a lifeless box, never able to feel the wind in her hair or see the roses as they bloomed. A small shiver ran down her pine and travelled to the tips of her toes. The words Natsume had said the night she had arrived still lingered in her mind.

"_It's likely that you will never see or speak to your family ever again."_

The urge to get up and do something lingered in Mikan's mind. Eventually temptation took over and Mikan felt herself rising from her bed. In five minutes she had got up, got dressed, brushed her teeth and slipped on a pair of running shoes. Mikan opened her door and closed it behind her. The walls of the mansion flashed by her as Mikan made her way through the never ending halls. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going but Mikan knew she would know when to stop.

Mikan soon found herself standing in front of the mansion's doors. She slowly pushed them open and was greeted by a bleak, grey world. A wide, stone path led up to the Iron gates. Bare, leafless bushes and trees lined the side of the path and made the scenery look even grimmer. A cool rush of air swept over Mikan and made her wish she had worn something warmer. Mikan pulled the hood of her sweater over her head and walked down the stone steps. Once again she found her feet moving of their own accord. Mikan found a side path that lead around the side of the mansion. She followed it without a moment's hesitation. As she walked, Mikan observed the dead, withered plants that were scattered throughout the garden.

A puff of air escaped Mikan's lips and danced around the cold winter sky. Tiny snowflakes started to fall from above and laced the ground in a blanket of white. The scenery reminded Mikan of Alice's adventures in the rabbit hole. Mikan turned the next corner and saw a frozen pond. A wooden bridge crossed the body of water. Mikan gasped. A familiar figure was leaning on the bridge's railing. The strands of his raven hair fell messily across his face as he stared down at the glittering ice. Mikan approached the figure and said, "The garden is really beautiful this time of year." A pair of crimson eyes met chocolate brown orbs.

"You think the garden is beautiful while it's withered?" Natsume asked in a skeptical tone. Mikan leaned against the railing so that her shoulder was nearly touching Natsume's.

"It may be withered and lifeless, but it brings a sort of calmness you can't experience in the summer. It's the solitude that gets to you," Mikan explained. Natsume stared at her with emotionless eyes.

"You don't seem like the noisy brat I met earlier," he commented. Mikan chuckled.

"This is how I act when I'm upset. I become quiet." An ominous silence washed over the two. Natsume didn't question Mikan any further and Mikan made no move to start a conversation. Eventually Natsume opened his mouth and a few words tumbled out.

"Polka, do you know what sort of weapon you'd like to train with?"

Mikan thought it over for a minute. "I think a sword would be cool. I mean, I always thought that they looked cool in anime and-"

"You're a naïve fool Polka," Natsume cut in. "It's people like you who get killed on the battlefield." Natsume stood up and turned around. He left before he could see the look of shock on Mikan's face.

"Hey, hey you!" Mikan called after him. But Natsume didn't turn around. Mikan watched him walk away until he turned the corner and disappeared from view. "Natsume…" she whispered.

The call of a lone Blue Jay echoed from above. It flapped its wings and flew away leaving Mikan all alone.

-~-5-~-

The sound of shoes hitting the ground filled Hotaru's ears. She found herself walking-once again-by herself. Breakfast had started nearly ten minutes ago and Hotaru knew it.

"That noisy idiot is probably looking for me," Hotaru muttered under her breath.

"Hotaru, have you had any luck with your search?"

Hotaru turned around and was slightly surprised to see that Natsume was also running late. Hotaru glanced around to make sure they were alone before proceeding, "Her mother's name is Yuka. She works as a kindergarten teacher. Mikan never knew her father but apparently her mother referred to him as, 'yokai'. Or in other words, strange apparition"

"Did you find out anything else, like maybe his _actual_ name?" Natsume inquired.

"No, that was all," Hotaru said with a sigh of defeat.

"Dammit," Natsume cursed.

"Whoever her father is, he did a good job of evading us," said Hotaru.

"Yes, he did," Natsume agreed.

"You know, we might get the answers we want if question her mother," Hotaru suggested.

Natsume looked the female straight in the eyes and replied firmly, "Hotaru, you know as well as I do that it would be too risky."

"Then why not use blackmail. It would provide the answers we need without raising too much suspicion."

"My answer is no and that is final. Do not try to argue with me." Hotaru wanted to pursue the matter further but Natsume's cold eyes made her stop. She herself may be have been known as the ice queen but even Hotaru knew not to push Natsume too far.

"Well then, I presume this conversation is over," Hotaru stated through gritted teeth.

"Wait," Natsume took another look around to make sure they really were alone. "Hotaru, both you and Ruka are strong, able vampires. I have little doubt that one of you will take over the position of advisor one day. But let me make myself clear; if I think your methods are too self-centred you will find yourself moving further away from that position."

Hotaru's muscles tensed, a slight flicker of fear burned through her mind. Did Natsume really understand what her just said? "You won't withhold any important information from me, right?" It wasn't a question, it was a demand. "Because doing so would only place you in a more dangerous position." Hotaru took a step forward so that she was speaking directly into Natsume's ear. "You need me. No matter how much you try to tell yourself otherwise, I'm much too important to throw away. You said it yourself, I'm a powerful vampire. You say that Ruka has a good of a chance as I do but we both know deep down that Ruka is a reckless fool." Hotaru pulled away and starred into Natsume's crimson eyes. He said nothing yet Hotaru knew her words had affected him. Natsume walked away, bumping Hotaru's shoulder as he passed. Hotaru in turn watched him leave.

-~-5-~-

"Natsume, you called me in," Ruka stated. Natsume was sitting in his office chair with a manga covering his face. Ruka had to admit, it didn't look too leadership like. But hey, this _was_ Natsume Hyuuga.

"Ruka, the recent reports from the other councils say that the monster population has gone down significantly. They've gone down so much that the other councils are having a hard time feeding themselves. Natsume said seriously. Ruka thought it over. Normally he would assume that the other councils were experiencing a particularly harsh winter but he didn't think that was the case. The first council had seen a rise in monsters over the past month which was strange considering it was winter.

"It doesn't seem to make much sense," Ruka thought out loud.

"No, it doesn't," Natsume agreed.

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Ruka, I'm not sure what's going on, neither does Shiki. But we both agree that it isn't good." Ruka shook his head in disbelief. Shiki was Natsume's advisor. He had been in the position before Ruka had arrived at the Mansion ten years ago. If he didn't know what was going on then they must be in trouble. "I think we should start Mikan's battle training early. She needs to know how to protect herself and I want you to be her mentor," Natsume explained. Ruka nodded in agreement.

"I understand."

"Good."

Ruka turned around and walked to the door.

"Oh, and Ruka," Natsume called out. Ruka turned around to face him. "Please don't do anything stupid." Natsume said with a sigh.

Ruka grinned as he replied, "I'll try not to." Ruka pushed the office door open and walked out to the hall. He had only been walking for a few minutes when he saw a familiar head of midnight blue hair.

"Hey Nonoko," Ruka greeted while running over to the girl. Nonoko looked over at him and smiled.

"Hey Ruka! It's been a while since we've had a proper conversation hasn't it?" Nonoko chimed. A number of labeled containers and jars were cradled in her arms.

"Do you need any help with that?" Ruka pointed to her heavy load.

"Oh, no, don't bother! My lab is close to here," she replied cheerfully.

"Are you doing another research project?" Ruka asked.

"Yes actually! I'm looking into the effects of vampire blood. I want to see if I can reverse the cycle of mixing vampire blood or if it can be prevented." Nonoko explained. Ruka raised an eyebrow. Such a project seemed like an ambitious endeavor. "Oh, and if you see Hotaru, tell her that I need some more mixers."

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Ruka chuckled.

"Thanks a bunch! It was nice talking to you but I really have to go now." Ruka smiled and watched Nonoko hurry off to her lab.

-~-5-~-

Hotaru lay on her bed in an unfashionable position. Her head was hanging off the side while her legs were stretched out and leaning against her wall. A number of emotions were rushing through Hotaru like rapids in a river. Anger, stress, worry, and many more flooded her mind and made her shiver. Hotaru felt like she had just ran into a wall and now she was trying to regain her breath after having the wind knocked out of her. Hotaru had walked into the Dining Hall this morning, just after her talk with Hyuuga, when suddenly she felt an aching pang. She knew he had been there, Hotaru could smell his blood from down the hall. But when opened that door an extreme hunger had taken over. It wasn't like her normal longing-a dull ach that made her mind sore-it felt out of control and pushed Hotaru's limits. If she had been alone she would have left right away but Hotaru had been with Mikan hence, running was not an option.

A loud knock filled the room. Hotaru sat up and called for the knocker to come in. She could sense who was behind the door, or at least who one of them was. The second scent she smelled like all the other vampires in this place. It didn't matter though; she had a pretty good idea of who had come to get her. The door opened with a creak to reveal two figures. The same extreme hunger awoke inside Hotaru and started nibbling at her sanity.

"Hotaru, we've been looking for you!" Mikan exclaimed.

"Is being fashionably late for meals a new hobby of yours?" Ruka asked sarcastically.

"I've been thinking," Hotaru responded plainly. She got up and walked over to the two figures at her door. With every step Hotaru took she had to resist the thirst that dwelled inside her. Hotaru grabbed Mikan's arm and dragged her down the hall. "Were leaving," she stated.

"Wait for me won't you?" Ruka called. Hotaru rolled her eyes but continued walking. Her feet wanted to run as far away from Ruka as they could but her mind wanted him to catch up. A soft string of air slid past Hotaru's lips. Her life was about to get much, much harder.


	6. Chapter 6

Weeks had passed by Mikan like birds on the wind. Her training with Hotaru had been exhausting, she woke up most mornings with sore muscles, but the price had started to pay off. Mikan's strength and endurance showed a steady increase from the start of her training. Mikan gave herself a mental reminder to give Hotaru a thank you for working her so hard. The lazy girl sat in a lawn chair with a blown horn and yelled at Mikan to keep moving. If Mikan stopped before Hotaru thought she did her best then she got shot at by the infamous baka gun. Mikan could still feel a number of bruises on her back and head; Hotaru's favourite targets. Now that Mikan thought of it, Hotaru was a lot like her gym coach.

But now Hotaru wasn't her only mentor now. Mikan had started her combat training a few weeks ago and she had been lucky enough to get Ruka as her mentor. Unlike Hotaru, Ruka's way of teaching was more focused on constructive criticism. In other words-he told Mikan how she could improve instead of telling her to do better and Mikan took Ruka's advice seriously.

The Clang of steel meeting steel echoed throughout the training area. Mikan put all her strength into parrying Ruka's blow. It was useless though, he was stronger. Mikan felt herself being pushed to the ground once again and was greeted by a silver blade at her throat.

"Mikan, I told you before, if you can't easily overpower your opponent than don't try to parry. Dodge out of the way," Ruka advised. Mikan let out a deep sigh and watched as Ruka moved his sword away from her throat. "Do you want to try again?" Ruka asked. Mikan nodded determinedly and got to her feet.

"I'll try harder this time," Mikan muttered through her teeth. The two stepped forward and raised their blades. The battle started when Ruka aimed a blow to Mikan's left shoulder. Mikan dodged to the right and looked for an opening. The information Ruka had taught her over the past few weeks poured into her brain and clouded her vision. It felt like her head was going to explode; there was just too much to think about. _Calm down Mikan, _she thought to herself. Suddenly she had an Idea. Mikan dogged Ruka's next attack by ducking and then she aimed to strike his legs. Ruka was taken by surprise and fumbled backwards. Mikan took full advantage of the opportunity by striking across Ruka's chest. Ruka let out a grunt of pain as the dull blade hit its target.

"Good job," Ruka said through gritted teeth. "I'd be dead right now if our blades were sharp." Mikan beamed at her success.

"So Ruka, since I'm doing so well, could we go out or something?" Mikan asked carefully. Ruka raised an eyebrow and gave her a funny look. A hint of amusement flickered across his eyes.

"_Go out?_" he asked in a skeptical tone. Mikan's cheeks flushed once she realised what she had said.

"No, no! Not like that! I mean, go off the campus and hunt or something. I just want to leave this place."

Ruka's expression immediately darkened once he heard Mikan's plan. "Natsume would have my head if I let you leave." Ruka explained grimly. Mikan hung her head in disappointment.

"Oh, I see, I just wanted to stretch my legs." Mikan said sadly. If Ruka wasn't an idiot, he probably wouldn't have fallen for Mikan's puppy eyes and pleadish look. Exposed to a _young girl begging for something she really wanted_ overload Ruka eventually gave in.

"Fine, but don't you dare tell anyone about this. And you have to promise me that you'll do everything I say. And I mean everything."

Mikan practically jumped for joy when Ruka gave in. "Oh thanks Ruka! You're the best!"

"Yeah, I know," Ruka muttered.

-~-6-~-

"Yuu, I want you to join the midnight hunt with Hotaru and Ruka tomorrow," Natsume instructed.

"Sir," Yuu spoke up. "Hotaru has asked for a switch. She said she wanted to join Friday's hunt instead." Natsume let out a sigh of exasperation.

"This is the third time in the past two weeks." Natsume groaned. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the two vampires stood. The silence didn't last long though for only a moment later, Natsume's office door flung open.

"Sir, I am very sorry to interrupt but I think it's an emergency. I didn't see Ruka or Mikan at dinner so I decided to look for them. The thing is I can't find them anywhere. I checked all over the place but they seem to have disappeared," a girl with midnight blue hair explained through ragged breath.

Natsume flung his arms up in the air in anger. An overwhelming wave of stress rolled over him as he thought about what was going on.

"Nonoko are you sure they're not on campus?" Natsume questioned.

"Almost positive," the normally cheerful girl replied. Natsume felt another rush of worry and stress wash over him. He clenched his teeth and kicked his desk as hard as he could. That turned out to be a bad move. Natsume's toe was quickly embraced in a wave of pain.

"Dammit!" Natsume growled. When he looked up he saw the looks of shock on the other two's faces.

"Sorry," Natsume grumbled. He reminded himself that this wasn't the way a leader should act. Natsume took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind, he needed to focus on the task ahead, and that involved a search party.

"Nonoko, I want you and Yuu to head out and search for them. Stay in the area." Natsume ordered.

"Yes sir," the two vampires chimed together. They then exited the office and started their search. Natsume grabbed his sword and coat. He then left the office and jogged over to Shiki's room. After two hard knocks Shiki opened the door.

"Ruka and Mikan have gone missing. I've sent Nonoko and Yuu out to search the area, and I'm going to head out myself. I want you to get a few vampires to search the mansion just in case they're here."

"Understood," Shiki said and went back into his room. Natsume turned around and headed toward the Mansion's front doors.

Mikan wondered if she had made a grave mistake. At first, going out and actually fighting monsters seemed really exciting, that was, until she realized just how terrifying the whole thing was. The cold winter air stuck to her cheeks and made her face numb.

"Ruka, how do you know if there are any monsters nearby?" Mikan asked in a worried tone.

"You can smell them from a mile away." Ruka explained.

"But I don't smell anything."

"That's because there's nothing nearby."

"Oh." Mikan felt a surge of relief flood through her. She hadn't noticed until now but her heart was beating exceptionally fast. The constant thump thump filled her body and made her insides squirm.

"Wait, Mikan, see if you can smell anything." Ruka suddenly instructed. Mikan looked at him curiously but did as she was told. She inhaled and let the different smells circulate; mostly the stinky smell of city air but another scent did stick out to her. It was a weird stench that didn't smell bad but was almost sweet.

"I smell something weird," Mikan informed Ruka who in turn nodded.

"That would be the monsters. I think there are about two of them around somewhere. Whatever you do, stick close to me." Mikan was taken over by panic. Ruka must have seen her worry because he said softly, "Don't worry, you're ready."

Mikan didn't feel ready. She felt awful. Ruka grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. If this was a normal situation, Mikan would probably sink to her knees in embarrassment. But since she felt like she was going to die Mikan felt glad that Ruka was so close to her.

"Ruka," Milan muttered.

"It will be fine, I know you're ready," Ruka reassured. It didn't make Mikan feel any better but she nodded and pulled out her sword. Ruka let go of Mikan's hand and readied his stance. The sweet scent of monsters overwhelmed Mikan's senses until Mikan found it hard to think.

"Mikan, to your right!" Ruka yelled. Mikan looked over and froze. Two Monsters were running up from a street to Mikan's right. Their pale, papery skin wound tightly around their bones. The monsters were wrapped in fabric that looked sort of like cloaks. They approached at an alarming pace but Mikan stayed rooted to the spot.

"Mikan, move!" Ruka yelled. Finally Mikan's body snapped out of the dread like trace it was in and dodged out of the way. The two monsters flew by seconds later. Ruka brought out his sword and tried to slash one across the stomach. However the monster managed to dodge out of the way and jumped toward Ruka. The second monster had started to advance on Mikan. Mikan's body was shaking violently making it hard for Mikan to hold on to her sword. The monster growled in a low gruff voice. Mikan took a swing at the Monster's arm. Her blow managed to hit flesh and made a nasty gash on the Monster's forearm. A piercing screech filled Mikan's ears like nails on a chalkboard. After taking a quick glance around, Mikan realized Ruka and the other monster were nowhere to be seen. Mikan couldn't keep her mind on the subject for long because a moment later the monster ran at her. Mikan's reflexes took over and she found herself slashing the monster across the hip as she dodged out of the way. The monster fell to the ground and let out another scream. Mikan took full use of the opportunity by stabbing the monster in the back. The monster's body went slack and let out one final breath. The battle was over. Mikan swung around to look for Ruka but didn't see him anywhere. A scream almost pushed past Mikan's lips but stopped midway. A poster Mikan hadn't seen before caught her eye. On it was a picture of a very familiar person; It was her. The title read _Missing Person!  
_  
_Mikan age sixteen went missing on January eighth. If you have any information please contact one of the contacts below._

Mikan gulped. Her mom was probably worried sick. To her, Mikan would be as good as dead for the rest of her life. An unwanted tear trickled down Mikan's cheek. Homesickness and depression washed over Mikan. She had been too busy to realize just how much she missed her mother and friends.

Mikan turned around and saw something black. The next thing she knew she was laying on the ground with a body on top of her. A ghastly snarl escaped the monsters lips before it sank its finger nails into Mikan's cheeks. Mikan screamed. Her cry was answered by a silver blade entering the monster's back.  
A foot kicked the monster off Mikan and grabbed her by the arm, pulling Mikan up. Mikan looked into her rescuer's eyes, expecting to see Ruka's ocean blue orbs, however she was shocked when the pair of eyes that met her gaze weren't blue, but red.

"Natsume! What are you doing here?" Mikan gasped.

"I could ask you the same thing polka," Natsume retorted.

"I-" Mikan paused, she wasn't sure how to answer.

"Where's Ruka?" Natsume asked in concern. Mikan bit her lip, she wasn't sure herself.

"I don't know," Mikan admitted.

"Polka," Natsume growled.

"Mikan, Natsume!" A voice called out. Ruka ran up to the two, his shirt covered in blood.

"Ruka, are you alright?" Mikan asked in an astonished voice.

"I'm fine, that's not my blood, it's my opponents," Ruka explained.

"Ruka, why the hell are you out hunting with a new recruit without my permission?" Natsume asked through gritted teeth. Ruka looked up at Natsume with an almost apologetic look on his face.

"I-"

"It was my idea," Mikan cut in. "I talked Ruka into going for a walk." Mikan tried to avoid the fact that she had actually wanted to fight monsters.

Natsume turned his gaze over to Mikan. He looked at Mikan as if he thought she was crazy. "So you thought it would be safe for you to just wander around at the dead of night?" Natsume snapped. "Have you forgotten that there are monsters strolling around here just waiting to attack you?"

"Well, that was kind of the point…" Mikan mumbled while pressing her pointer fingers together. Any sort of hope Mikan had that Natsume would let her off the hook immediately vanished. Natsume looked like he was about to murder someone, but instead huffed a deep sigh and tried to regain his composure.

"We will finish this conversation in my office." Natsume said then turned around and started to walk away.

-~-6-~-

Natsume's office door flung open with a loud bang. Natsume walked in and flopped himself down upon his office chair. He swung around so that he faced the other two figures that had also entered.

"You know, I've thought about what suitable punishment would be for the two of you and I've come to a conclusion," Natsume said. Mikan felt like she was running out of air very, very quickly. Knowing Natsume it would be a harsh consequence. Ruka also looked worried. He remembered the last time he defied Natsume's orders; he had ended up with a three day suspension. He had a feeling that this time he would receive something much worse. "You both have a four week suspension. I don't want either of you to leave to campus during this time," Natsume announced. Ruka hefted a sigh of relief. It wasn't anything too serious. However Natsume wasn't finished speaking. As soon as Ruka though he had gotten off the hook Natsume continued, "Ruka, I've decided to take away your position of mentor."

"Wait, what?" Mikan exclaimed. "I told you it was my fault! Why take it out on Ruka?" Natsume turned an angry eye toward Mikan.

"You may have talked Ruka into it but Ruka also agreed. I cannot risk having such an easily persuadable vampire mentor you if all you want to do is break rules. Do you not see the risk that brings to the rest of the vampires?" Natsume growled.

A tear rolled down Mikan's pale cheek. Ruka was surprised at the harshness in his friend's voice. He had been by Natsume's side through rough and tough but never had he seen him so angry.

"Fine then, but who will be my new mentor?" Mikan wailed.

Natsume's voice was as cold as ice when he spoke, "I will." Anything Mikan was about to respond with was drowned out by a loud knock at the door. A certain ounce of anger seemed to disappear from Natsume's eyes and was replaced by a glimmer of stress. "Enter," he called out to the visitor. The door creaked open to reveal a bloody girl. Ruka's eyes widened when he recognized the girl as no other then Nonoko. Nonoko's bow was slung across her back and she walked with a limp. Her clothes were soaked in blood and dirt.

"Sir, I came here to inform you that both Yuu and I went out to search for Ruka and Mikan and made it back. However Yuu is in a moribund condition. The nurse doesn't think he'll last the night." Nonoko's tone was ridged and cold. Ruka knew Yuu had been a good childhood friend of hers. It must be awful for her. Ruka stole a glance at Natsume and saw that he was in utter shock.

"Thank you," Natsume said softly. "Go and let the nurse look after you. I'll go see Yuu shortly." Nonoko nodded and limped back out of the office. The door closed behind her leaving the rest of the office in silence.

"I think I'll add on to your punishment," Natsume said, breaking the silence. "You both will not go anywhere unsupervised until you earn back my trust," Natsume said in a cold voice. Mikan whipped her head around to stare at him.

"You have to be kidding!" She yelled. "You must be fucking joking!"

"Polka! A good hearted vampire is dying because your childish, immature actions and you want me to go easy on you? You have to earn my respect and trust yet you seem content at making yourself the least trustworthy Vampire around me!" More tears fell from Mikan's eyes. They rolled off her chin and onto the cold tiled floor.

"I'm _not _a child and I refuse to be treated like one," Mikan stated firmly. Natsume threw a fist down on his desk and stood up.

"What do you want me to do? What in the devil's name do you want me to do? I'm the fucking leader of the entire Vampire population. _I'm_ the big man, _I_ tell people what to do because that's my job. I didn't ask for it! It got thrown upon my shoulders for me to carry out as I please! And since I'm the leader I have to protect the people that I rule, and that means I _cannot _let an _immature, irresponsible, child_ stroll around and put others in danger!"

Ruka watched as Natsume's words dug into Mikan like sharp razors. It was a bit unfair to blame the whole problem on Mikan. That being said, Ruka understood just how much stress Natsume was under.

"You…" Mikan stuttered. "_You…_ You stupid fucked up moron! You know I didn't ask to be one of you. I was happy living my life without a father and a bitch queen ruining my life! As weird as it sounds I actually prefer that life over the one _I_ got thrown into. You know, I don't think you've actually said one nice thing about me since I got here! I mean, can you really blame me for hating you?" Mikan screamed.

"I'm the fucked up moron?" Natsume asked coolly. Natsume opened his mouth to continue but Mikan cut him off.

"Yes, you are! I don't know who your parents were or what they were like but they must have failed at parenting if they never taught you how to be nice to people!"

Ruka sucked in a load of air sharply. He eyed Natsume carefully as his crimson eyes seemed to freeze over.

"Get out," Natsume muttered.

"Hm? What did you say? I can't hear you," Mikan mocked.

"Mika-" Ruka tried to warn her but it was too late, Natsume had already exploded.

"I SAID GET OUT!" Natsume yelled. Mikan didn't need to be told twice. She turned around and marched right out the door. Ruka gave Natsume one last glance before running after Mikan.

"Mikan, wait!" Ruka called out. Mikan didn't turn around. She continued to storm down the halls of the mansion, not really caring where she went.

"Mikan!" Ruka yelled again.

"Ruka, I appreciate the fact that you want to talk but this really isn't a good time!" Mikan hollered back.

Ruka rolled his eyes and ran up to Mikan. "Mikan, I think it's time I tell you about Natsume's past."

"I don't want to hear anything related to that jerk! So leave me alone!"

Ruka sighed and grabbed Mikan's arm. "Mikan, listen. Natsume lost his parents when he was a toddler. His sister left last year to train in Europe and his Uncle passed away shortly after. Natsume is only seventeen. He's the youngest head of council in Vampire history and has a humongous amount of stress weighing him down. Now will you please let me explain?" Ruka pleaded. Mikan stopped trying to break free of Ruka's grip and stared at him. In all honesty, she was shocked.

"Fi-fine," Mikan mumbled.

"Good," Ruka answered. "But first I want you to follow me." Mikan nodded slowly and followed Ruka to the garden. He led her around the side of the mansion and over to a bench.

"Here, have a seat," Ruka said while motioning to the bench. Mikan sat down and turned her full attention over to Ruka.

"fifteen years ago this Mansion was invaded by monsters. It was on the same night that Natsume's mother was in labour with his sister. The whole royal family was in Kaoru's bedroom along with the advisor of the time and a few other guards."

"Kaoru?" Mikan pandered with a raised brow.

"Kaoru was Natsume's mother," Ruka explained.

"Oh, I get it."

"Yes, well that bedroom was probably the most well protected place in the whole mansion at the time yet the monsters were able to break in just after the birth of Natsume's sister. Kaoru was in no shape to go anywhere and Natsume's father wanted to be there to protect her. So he ordered his brother and advisor to take the children and a couple guards and escape the mansion. The two vampires were able to get Natsume and his sister to safety, Although it was a devastating battle, the did vampires were able to fight off the monsters. When Natsume's uncle went to investigate Kaoru's room he found the corpses of Natsume's parents and the guards that had stayed with them."

Mikan gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "That's… that's horrible," she muttered. Ruka nodded in agreement.

"Last year Natsume's uncle passed away. He had had a weak heart since birth and it eventually failed him. It happened just before Aoi had planned to leave for her training in Europe. Natsume, being the idiot that he is, somehow blamed himself for his uncle's death. Aoi was concerned for her brother's welfare and wanted to stay in japan with him, but of course, Natsume wouldn't hear a word of it. He wanted Aoi to leave for Europe. Natsume won the argument and was left without any family and a whole council to take care of," Ruka explained. Mikan looked Ruka in the eye while thinking over what she had just heard.

"I know It's hard to believe but Natsume really does care, too much if I do say so myself. I think he feels like everyone is his responsibility; as if anyone he lets close to his heart is cruelly ripped away therefore it's easier to push them away from the start."

"But that's crazy!" Mikan exclaimed. The mere thought of it rattled her already confused brain.

"I know," Ruka replied sadly. Even though Mikan was light headed with shock she couldn't help but feel an odd nagging sensation at the far corners of her brain. Something about What Ruka had just said seemed oddly familiar. What was it? Mikan thought hard before realising it was the name of Natsume's sister. _Aoi, _Mikan thought. Where had she heard that name before? Then it clicked. She hadn't heard it, she had read it.

"Ruka, the room I'm staying in, did it by any chance belong to Natsume's sister?" Mikan asked. Ruka looked over at her with surprise splattered all over his face.

"Yes actually, it is. But if you don't mind me asking, how did you know?"

Mikan laughed a bit before saying "I found a very sweet birthday note addressed to Aoi on the inside cover of a book, signed by none other than her loving brother. I never knew Natsume could be so sweet!"

The corners of Ruka's mouth ever so slightly to reveal an almost sad smile.

"Ah, let me guess, Alice in wonderland was it not?" Ruka said with a grin.

"Yup."

Ruka lifted his head to gaze up at the night sky. "Aoi must have read that book a thousand times, the little imp. She always had her nose up some book, although, if I remember properly she took quite a fancy to fairy tales."

"She sounds like the type of person I wouldn't mind meeting," Mikan replied with a chuckle.

"You two are alike in so many ways, it's just too bad that you two haven't had the chance to meet each other," Ruka replied soulfully.

Mikan took a look up at the stars above and was stunned by their beauty. Each star shone from some faraway place yet they all seemed so close, like one giant family. Mikan raised a hand and pretended to grab one of dots of light right out of the sky. Even though she knew she's never catch one, it still came as a disappointment when she opened her hand and found her palm empty.

"You know, that birthday note inside of Aoi's book, it seemed so genuine. I still find it hard to believe Natsume actually wrote it. It's a side of him I've never seen before," Mikan said with a sigh.

"Natsume is a complicated guy. He doesn't take kindly to strangers but if you're lucky enough to find your way into his heart then he'll do anything in his power to protect you, even if it means making you hate him in the process," Ruka explained. Mikan looked over at Ruka and caught his glance.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I want you to give him one last chance."

"I…" Mikan paused. "I think I can try."

"Good," Ruka said with a grin. Mikan took one last look up at the stars before standing up.

"It's getting late, we should probably leave," Mikan suggested. Ruka merely nodded before rising to his feet. The two followed the garden path back the way they came until they reached the Mansion's front doors.

"Mikan, if you don't mind, I think I'll go check on Hotaru. It's been something I've been meaning to do for a while."

Mikan raised an eyebrow while she replied, "Why, is something wrong with her?"

"I… I don't know but I have a feeling that something's off. I just don't know what."

Mikan nodded understandingly then said, "Ok, that sounds like a good idea. Good night by the way, and thanks for everything."

"It's my pleasure," Ruka responded while taking a slight bow.

"Oh be gone you idiot of a vampire," Mikan said sarcastically. Ruka grinned and started jogging backwards. He sent Mikan one last wave before turning around and jogging down the halls. Ruka weaved down different corridors without a sliver of trouble. He knew the mansion like the palm of his hand, and there was no way he Ruka was getting lost. Finally he arrived at the door of his target. Ruka knocked once before taking a step back and whistling softly.

"G-go away," A hard voice replied. Ruka stopped and stared at the door in front of him. Hotaru was like the ice queen herself, he'd give her that, but there was something very unsettling about the way she just spoke.

"Hotaru, it's just me, Ruka," he called out.

"I know! Just leave you idiot." This time her voice seemed to break as if she was crying.

"Hotaru!" Ruka said worriedly. Without waiting for a reply, Ruka gently pushed the door open, walked inside, and kicked the door closed. The first thing he saw was the body of a teenage girl who Ruka recognized as Hotaru, her face buried under a pillow. Hotaru's body seemed to tense as if she was trying hard to resist some unknown force.

The second thing Ruka took note of was the glass bottle of clear liquid on Hotaru's desk. A bright orange label was stuck on its side. Ruka immediately recognized the label to be on of Nonoko's, but what the bottle was doing inside Hotaru's room, Ruka had no Idea. Ruka took a step toward the desk and picked up the bottle. Printed in small letters, off to the side of the label was the word, _untested._

"Hotaru," Ruka muttered once more.

"I told you to go away," Hotaru seethed.

"Hotaru, what's going on? You've been acting odd lately, what with you switching hunts and all that. You know I'm honestly starting to think that you're purposely ignoring me. And what's this bottle from? For some reason I hardly doubt Nonoko actually gave it to you. Please, just tell me what's going on."

It took Hotaru a long time to answer but when she did, she said, "I'm testing it for Nonoko."

Ruka shot his gaze over to Hotaru. Her words were muffled because of the pillow on her face but when Ruka looked at her closer he realized Hotaru was shaking.

"It says it's untested," Ruka pointed out.

"That's why I'm testing it," Hotaru muttered.

"Hotaru, I know you're lying! Don't ask me how I know because honestly I'm not sure myself but I _do_ know you're not telling me the truth!" Ruka exclaimed. He slammed the bottle down on the desk and took a step toward Hotaru. Ruka reached out a hand to lift the pillow off Hotaru's face but stopped midway when Hotaru gently tugged the pillow off her face. Ruka stared into Hotaru's cold, hard eyes. Her purple orbs burned into him like a raging fire. Ruka noticed that Hotaru's face was flushed red and silent tears fell from her eyes. Hotaru sat up and grabbed Ruka's hand, then she pulled herself up and glared at him.

"Leave," Hotaru said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not going anywhere. We've known each other far too long for me to ignore you while you're like this."

Ruka watched as something in Hotaru's eyes snapped. She tugged Ruka's arm roughly, pulling him toward her with a surprising amount of strength. Ruka wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her gently while rocking back and forth.

"Please just tell me what's going on, I can't stand watching you fall apart," Ruka pleaded. "If there's any way I can help you, or if you want m-" A pair of lips fell upon Ruka's and stopped him from continuing. Ruka was shocked but didn't step back. Instead he kissed Hotaru back with equal passion. Ruka had no Idea where it came from- it most likely had been resting dormant inside him for some very long time-but Ruka felt something awaken inside him that he hadn't felt until now. Ruka had no idea how he hadn't noticed Hotaru's warm breath, soft touch or the fact that she nestled so comfortably in his arms until now. He felt like a fool.

Hotaru finally broke the kiss, allowing Ruka to catch his breath.

"Hotaru," Ruka softly muttered. However Hotaru didn't respond. She slowly trailed her lips down Ruka's jaw and to the crook of his neck, tenderly kissing Ruka's soft skin. Suddenly Ruka felt a stab of sharp pain slice at him as he felt a pair, no, two pairs of cold teeth sink into his neck. Ruka froze. His body stopped working. Ruka told himself to run, to leave, but he didn't. Instead he let the girl he had known for six years commit treason. And ancient code passed down from generation to generation was broken.

Hotaru Imai was drinking the blood of another vampire.

* * *

**Guys, **I finally finished a chapter! I know it's been forever since my last update (I'm really sorry!) but hey, it'd my longest chapter yet so yay! I had a bit of writers block but it managed to clear up. I started this chapter a while ago by the way.

But yeah, I'm not sur suck at writing romance so please tell me what you think...(It was lame wasn't it) but that's all for now!


	7. Chapter 7

Ruka placed a hand over his forehead and groaned. He was sprawled out across his bed, not wanting to get up. He had several vampires knock on his door, who Ruka presumed Natsume sent. In any case, he had dismissed them all, even the ones that protested otherwise. The previous night had been dramatic indeed, but the one thing that still troubled Ruka was Hotaru. Ruka tried to organize the facts in his head. He knew that drinking the blood of another vampire was punishable by death; therefore if anyone found out about what happened last night Hotaru was as good as gone. Ruka also knew that if he didn't alert Natsume soon he too would be preforming treason and could also be sentenced to death. Ruka thought it over. He had the choice of letting Hotaru die, or possibly risking both Hotaru's and his own head. Ruka decided on the later. It was going to be hard; if Natsume ever found out their friendship would most surely be ruined. It pained Ruka to betray his best friend but he also knew that it would hurt more to watch Hotaru slip away before his very eyes.

Speaking of Hotaru, Ruka wondered what was going on with her. His instincts hadn't been wrong when he felt something strange going on over the past few weeks but never would he have guessed that it was something so serious, or dangerous…

A shiver ran down Ruka's spine has he remembered the feeling of Hotaru's fangs sinking deep within his shoulder. The feeling was both painful and blissful. And there was a certain scent that she carried that seemed to imbed itself in Ruka's skin. Something that smelled almost like pine trees and smoke from a campfire while someone was roasting marshmallows. The scent had traveled up his body and filled his mouth so that he tasted pineapple and coconut, with a hint of vanilla, while the image of firefly darted across his mind.

Ruka shook his head and slowly rose to his feet. He couldn't lie around all day. Eventually he had to get up and face the world outside his bedroom door. Ruka walked over to a stand up mirror and pulled off the tee-shirt he had been wearing. He closely inspected the bite marks on the crook of his neck. It looked like to sets of dots, and although to regular people it may have looked like some weird scar from an unfortunate accident, any vampire would know straight away that he had been bitten by one of their own.

"I'll have to cover that up," Ruka muttered unhappily. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a dress shirt, pulled it on, and made sure to do up all the buttons. The collar of the shirt hid the bite marks from prying eyes. Next he shed his pajama pants for a pair of jeans and headed out.

-~-7-~-

Ruka had no Idea how late it was until he saw how packed the dining hall was and quickly realised it was dinnertime. And suddenly Ruka panicked. It was childish but he didn't want to face the troubles that were pressing down on him. Hotaru, Natsume, even Mikan. Ruka wanted them to all go away so that he could be in perfect solitude. But they weren't going to go away, so instead, Ruka took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Ruka glanced over to Natsume, something he did out of habit, and instantly regretted it. Natsume glared at him with an odd mixture of anger and concern. Ruka gulped, turn away, and looked around the room. Ruka settled for a seat near Nonoko, deciding it would be a good Idea to avoid Hotaru and Mikan who were evidently sitting together. But as he approached the normally cheerful, dark haired girl, Ruka started to regret his second decision of the evening. Nonoko was sitting silently by herself (which was odd for a girl who liked to talk so much). It was only when Ruka arrived at the table that he remembered what Nonoko had said last night.

Yuu had been fatally wounded, and it was mostly Ruka's fault.

"Oh, hello Ruka," Nonoko said in a stilted manner. Ruka winced at the edginess in her voice.

"Hey Nonoko," Ruka replied. Nonoko didn't reply, but instead looked down at her empty plate. Ruka noticed the number of fresh scars laid across Nonoko's face. They gave off a strikingly complex demeanor, something Ruka would never have imagined Nonoko could look like.

"Natsume seems very stiff tonight, doesn't he? I think he has some big news to share."

The comment caught Ruka completely off guard. He hadn't actually expected Nonoko to talk to him. But as he took a second glance at Natsume he realised she was right. As he sat he fiddled his thumbs, something Natsume did when he was nervous, and occasionally rubbed his temples. Natsume's eyes shifted throughout the room and Ruka quickly looked away when they glanced in his direction.

"He did have a lot to deal with last night," Ruka said softly.

An awkward silence fell upon the two but was broken once again by Nonoko.

"You know, it wasn't your fault," said quietly.

Ruka didn't even have to ask, he knew what she was talking about.

"Nonoko I-" Ruka began.

"No really, It wasn't," Nonoko cut in. "We were… we were swarmed," she whispered. Ruka stared over at Nonoko.

_Again? _He thought. But before Ruka could say anything else, the sound of chair scraping on floor echoed throughout the room and everyone fell silent. Ruka glanced over at the head table where Natsume was standing up. He could now clearly see troubling thoughts brewing in his friend's head.

"I welcome you all here tonight under the stars of our ancestors." Natsume said slowly, as if he wanted to draw out each word in an effort to prolong some unseen cause.

Together we drink the blood of our prey as we celebrate another successful hunt. As one, we hunt and as one we gather," Natsume finished more firmly.

The vampires who filled the dining hall joined in a chorus of, "As one." Albeit, uncertainly. A feeling of uneasiness was settling across the room and dancing its way into the vampires' thoughts. The feeling only intensified when Natsume did not sit down again as normal, but remained standing. A few servers at the back looked around curiously wondering whether they should start serving the food and drinks. One server started to walk away from the wall but an older vampire held her back. He then turned his gaze back to his leader with a solemn yet understanding look.

Natsume looked down ever so briefly at his advisor Shiki and the two of them met each other's gaze. Shiki nodded ever so briefly and Natsume took a deep breath. The room was so quiet; Ruka could hear the strumming of Shiki's fingers against the table.

"As many of you may have noticed, this season has provided us with an abundance of monsters." Natsume said slowly. "More than the average winter cares to bring. But what the first council takes for granted is lacking throughout the world." Natsume paused and took a look around the dining hall, being careful to look at everyone briefly. A number of quiet whispers and questionable looks had started to pop up around the room.

"I've been talking with the other councils and it seems that they have had a particularly harsh winter. Although we've seen enough monsters to fill our cups for months to come, the other councils have been having a hard time quenching their thirst and it has come to the point where I have invited the rest of the councils to join us here for as long as they need to."

The dining hall erupted in a fury of voices. Vampires looked to and fro more widely than Ruka had ever seen before. Although he had to admit, Ruka was just shocked as everyone else. He had been told from Natsume that the situation had been bad, but he hadn't known it was _this _bad. Ruka couldn't remember the last time the councils had all joined together under one roof.

"Something weird is going on," Nonoko whispered.

Ruka nodded slowly. "And whatever it is it definitely doesn't sound good," he agreed.

"This brings me to my next point," Natsume said, causing the room to fall into silence once again. "Some of you may have noticed an increasing number of monsters per pack." Natsume paused for a brief second before continuing in a much more serious tone. "Last night a patrol was swarmed by a group of twenty five monsters. Out of the two Vampires one, Yuu Tobita, was fatally wounded in the fight and most unfortunately did not make it through the night. We will join his family in mourning and in three days' time the burial ritual will take place. He was a brave soul and a good hearted vampire. He will be missed by all and remembered by all. Yuu Tobita, may you rest in peace."

The room was silent. There hadn't been a death from battle in a long time. Yuu's death served as a haunting reminder that the vampires and the monsters both played two parts; the hunters, and the hunted.

A sob broke the silence. Ruka looked over to where the noise was coming from. A young girl around the age of twelve was crying her heart out. Ruka shuttered as he recognized the girl. She was Yuu's sister. Ruka turned his head back around to face Nonoko. Her cheeks were tear-stained and red as she cried silently. All of a sudden Ruka felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was his entire fault. That if he hadn't been so stupid and had been a bit more rigid with Mikan than maybe Yuu would still be alive.

Ruka hadn't realised that dinner had already started until a young waiter came up to him and filled his glass. He didn't want to drink the blood but knew that he'd regret it later if he didn't. Ruka picked up the wine glass and took a small sip. The blood was warmer than he remembered it to be and felt thick and lumpy in his throat. Ruka almost gaged but managed to keep in.

"Are you all right?" Nonoko asked.

Ruka gave a quick nod and a reassuring, "Yeah." But to be honest, Ruka wasn't sure. Something was going on with him that he couldn't place his finger on. Ruka gave his glass an angry glare before picking it up again and downing the whole glass in one go.

It was a huge mistake. The blood fell partially down his throat before stopping, forming a clot and causing Ruka to choke. He grabbed a napkin and held it up to his mouth before he spat out any of the blood. With one hardy swallow Ruka managed to consume the blood.

By now many of the nearby vampires were giving him odd stares and curious glances, Nonoko included. Ruka knew she clearly did not believe his earlier statement.

"Ruka, are you sure you're alright?" Nonoko asked worriedly.

Ruka waved her away and carefully removed the napkin from his face. A few stray droplets of blood fell down his chin and onto the table.

"I'm think I'm a bit under the weather," Ruka lied. "Maybe a bit of a cold."

He knew how unconvincing he sounded, but even he wasn't sure what was going on.

"Well, do you want me to take you to the nurse or something?" Nonoko offered weakly.

"Oh no, I'll be fine," said Ruka shakily.

Nonoko gave him one last worried look and said, "Alright, if you say so."

All of a sudden Ruka didn't feel that hungry. Servers came around and offered him food but Ruka waved each one off without a word. Nonoko kept giving Ruka worried looks as she ate her garden salad but refrained from asking anymore questions. They dining hall suddenly seemed very humid. A small bead of sweat rolled down Ruka's forehead and dripped onto the table. Ruka felt a strange tingling sensation at the base of his spine, then a sudden craving. It took him a minute to figure out what exactly he was craving, but when he did, Ruka felt as if giant weight fell upon his chest, making it hard to breath. Ruka shot a quick glance at Hotaru then looked away.

He had to leave.

Ruka jumped up from his seat, startling Nonoko, and weaved through the many tables in the hall. It wasn't long before Ruka reached the hall doors. He felt an odd tingling sensation as if someone was watching him intently from behind. Ruka took one last look at around the room and caught Natsume's gaze. A cold pair of crimson eyes stared at him. They seemed to question him from afar yet give off an almost disapproving feeling. Ruka shuttered and exited the hall.

-~-7-~-

Hotaru watched intently as a particular blonde haired vampire rose from his table and exited the hall in a rather hurried manner. She clenched her fist and took a sip of blood from her goblet. The monster blood, which normally tasted sweet like tea with honey, now seemed rather bland compared to the taste of Ruka's most delectable blood. Of course, as soon as the thought entered Hotaru's mind she mentally slapped herself. Last night was never supposed to have happened. But what was done was done, and Hotaru could only hope for the best, which was that Ruka would be unaffected by her own carelessness. Unfortunately, judging by what she had just seen, Hotaru doubted that Ruka would just carry on in life as if nothing had happened.

"Hotaru, are you alright? You seem distracted," Mikan asked worriedly, breaking Hotaru's train of thought.

"I'm fine," Hotaru replied plainly.

"Are you sure? Last night Ruka said he felt like you were feeling a bit off or something. Speaking off which, I haven't seen him all day. I wonder if he's feeling ok."

"I'm sure Ruka's fine," Hotaru said dismissingly.

"Alright, if you say so," Mikan said glumly. Hotaru watched as the girl poked at her food. The poor mashed potatoes were probably cold by now, but of course, Mikan didn't care. Hotaru had to stop herself from laughing heartlessly. Mikan thought she had it bad; at least her mother was still alive. And it wasn't like the idiot had an unnatural thirst for vampire blood.

Hotaru patted her mouth dry with a white napkin and gently paced it down on the table.

"Mikan, I'm ready to leave when you are, so either finish your food or leave it for the waiters to clean up. But please, don't play with it like a five year old girl." Mikan looked up from her plate and pouted.

"Aw, Hotaru," Mikan whined.

Hotaru rolled her eyes and got to her feet. It turned out Mikan wasn't too hungry because instead of finishing her potatoes, she followed suit and stood up as well. No sooner had Mikan taken two steps away from table than a short, dark haired vampire hurried up to her and said, "Sakura, Natsume wanted me to escort you to your room." Mikan pursed her lips and tried not to look like she was about to punch someone in the gut. She turned her head to face Hotaru and mouthed, _I hate Hyuuga, _than regained her composure.

"I see, thank you for the offer but I'm leaving with Hotaru so there is no need of your assistance," Mikan said as politely as she could.

"No actually, she's not," Hotaru said bluntly. "I'm heading out by myself, so please; make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." And with that, Hotaru walked away from Mikan and the other vampire, both of whom were slightly stunned and a fair bit more than shocked. Hotaru didn't miss Mikan's hurt expression as she left the room, but Hotaru couldn't think about that right now. All she wanted was to be alone.

Hotaru left the Dining Hall and made a beeline for her room. She didn't pay attention to anyone or anything. She didn't respond to the occasional hellos or greetings, nor did she take note of them. Everyone around her was like a blur, blending into the background.

When Hotaru reached her room, she entered quickly, slamming the door behind her. Hotaru took a seat at her desk and reached out for her pistols. Minutes later her hands were acting upon instinct, taking apart the pistols and putting them back together. Parts were exchanged for other parts and the guns became sleeker, more powerful, and more _deadly_. Suddenly Hotaru stopped and her body became rigid. A familiar scent filled her brain, causing her to panic slightly. He wasn't supposed to come after her. He was supposed to ignore her, avoid her.

"Idiot," Hotaru muttered through clenched teeth.

For a second Hotaru hoped that the scent would just fade away, that maybe he was just passing through the area. But her hope quickly diminished as the scent became stronger and stronger, intoxicating her body. Finally, the dreaded knock on the door came and rumbled through Hotaru's brain.

"Hotaru."

Hotaru didn't respond. Instead she put down her pistols ever so quietly and stared at her desk. Her body began to shake uncontrollably and she felt shivers run down her back. Hotaru heard a soft click and the creak of her door as in swung open. Hotaru slowly turned her head around to face the intruder.

"Ruka, you're not supposed to be here," Hotaru said coldly.

"I'm afraid I can't leave if that's what you want me to do," Ruka replied. Hotaru looked at him with her piercing eyes and stood up.

"You are a complete fool," She said slowly.

"I know," Ruka said with a smirk. "But then again, so are you."

"This time I'll show restraint." At this point Hotaru wasn't just trying to convince Ruka, she was trying to convince herself.

"Yeah, But I can't say the same for myself." Ruka's smirk grew into a grin as he pushed the door shut. Fear swelled in Hotaru's mind, and engulfed her. The next thing she knew the lights were off and a very strong force had collided with her body, pushing her back against the wall. Hotaru bagged her head and shook violently, trying to free herself from Ruka's hold.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Ruka said with a laugh.

Even in the dark, Hotaru could make out Ruka's face. She looked him directly in the eyes, and froze. The crystal blue, loving orbs she had known for so long were gone and were replaced by hard, cold, greedy, madness.

"You…you're not Ruka."

Ruka laughed an eerie, haunting, laugh and put a hand to Hotaru's lip. He placed a thumb at the corner of her mouth and wiggled it past her lip, rubbing the thumb against Hotaru's fangs.

"Oh Hotaru, dear Hotaru, you can feel it can't you? The reason I'm like this? The reason I'm being so reckless? It's all because of you. You're not like normal vampires Hotaru, you're like poison. First you poisoned yourself, and then you poisoned me."

The words bit into Hotaru like sharp fangs. This whole mess was all her fault, she knew it. Then Hotaru did something she never did before, she screamed, or at least tried to. Ruka must have anticipated her move because he quickly moved his hand to cover her mouth.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that Hotaru. Although you feel fear right now, deep down you don't want me to leave. You want me all for yourself, don't you? Besides, what good would it do to get us both caught?"

And that's what broke her.

Hotaru felt something inside her snap, as if the tiniest thread of hope she had been holding onto had been forcefully and unfairly ripped away from her. Hotaru stopped struggling against Ruka. He was right, she couldn't so anything, not unless she wanted to send both of them to their deaths. Hotaru was in a checkmate, now all she could do was sit back and watch their own demise.

"Hotaru, if were going down, were going down together," Ruka said slowly.

"Together," Hotaru said softly.

And with that, Ruka crashed his lips into Hotaru's. Hotaru felt a wave of pleasure rush through her and absentmindedly ran her hand through his hair. Ruka quickly found Hotaru's lower lip, and sucked on it. A gasp escaped Hotaru as she felt Ruka bit down on her lip, spilling red blood into her mouth. Hotaru moaned softly as Ruka licked the blood off her lips.

Hotaru tightened her hold on Ruka and pushed herself off the wall. This time, instead of holding her down, Ruka let her lead him to the center of the room, lips remaining locked the whole time. Lights spun around Hotaru. She wasn't exactly sure where she was or what was going on, but her body loved every second of it. A pair of firm hands grabbed Hotaru's waist and held her tight. Hotaru placed one hand on Ruka's back and dug her nails into his shirt. Hotaru's other hand found his hair and pulled at it gently. This time it was Ruka's turn to moan. The next thing Hotaru knew, she was being pulled backward. A brief moment passed where the kiss was broken and Hotaru was falling helplessly through the air. A moment later she had landed on top of Ruka, who in turn had fallen on her bed. Hotaru adjusted her position so that her legs were wrapped around Ruka's torso. Ruka smirked and pulled Hotaru closer to him. In one swift motion he undid the buttons on Hotaru's white blouse and pulled the shirt over her shoulders, exposing Hotaru's white bra. Ruka gave Hotaru a hungry look, then placed his lips upon her shoulder. Hotaru gasped as he sucked at the spot for a minute then sunk his fangs into her skin. Pain exploded from her shoulder but was quickly replaced with an imaginable sensation of pleasure. Ruka pulled Hotaru's shirt off her arms and pressed her torso against his.

They stayed like that for several minutes, intertwined in one another. However, Ruka eventually withdrew his fangs and looked down at Hotaru.

"I told you once, I'll tell you again. Hotaru, you are my poison," Ruka said softly

Hotaru looked into his deep blue eyes and mentally fell into an endless void. She closed her eyes and placed her forehead against his. She knew at that moment that whatever they felt, it definitely wasn't love. Nowhere near it.

It was Obsession, driven by the guilty pleasure of madness.

-~-7-~-

A pair of crimson eyes looked upon the scene before her. They were all waiting for the plane to come down from the sky, pick them up, and fly them back to Japan. _Home, _the girl thought. As much as she missed her brother and the others, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about leaving the land she had grown so accustomed to.

"Aoi, are you alright?" A voiced asked.

Aoi turned around and faced a boy with grey eyes.

"I'm fine Youichi. It just feels a bit strange, that's all," Aoi said quietly.

"I know," Youichi said sadly, "It will take a bit of getting used to; going back and all."

"It's not just that…" said Aoi. "I just can't shake the feeling that something just isn't right. "Aoi paused and looked up at the clear blue sky. It was strange to think it would be snowing when they got back to Japan. "I can feel it. Something very wrong is about to happen."

* * *

Ok, well first let me apologize for not updating in forever. Next I want to say That I have no intention on giving up on this story or my other one. I'm just horrible at updating. But hopefully it should be better now that it is summer and all. I'm really trying to update quicker now. I soent a couple hours on this today so yay me! Also, this was basically my first time writing a full out make out scene so I'm sorry if it sucked... but yeah, hoped you enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

Mikan watched silently as Yuu's silver coffin was carried past her. They were standing outside in the cold, dressed in black to mark the occasion. All the vampires present were standing on either side of a wide aisle. The coffin, followed by Yuu's family, was carried down the aisle and up to a small clearing at the front where Natsume stood.

"That's Yuu's sister," Nonoko whispered chokingly, pointing to a girl that looked no older than twelve. Mikan nodded slowly, noting the distant look on the girl's face and how she looked so lost.

"Poor girl," Mikan said softly.

"Yeah, she's really nice. It must have been really-" Nonoko's voice hitched mid-sentence and a tear escaped her eye.

Mikan grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze in an attempt to comfort her. "It's alright; you don't have to talk if you don't want to."

Nonoko gave out a soft hiccup. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Vampires young and old, I call you here today to take part in the mourning of Yuu Tobita."

Mikan glanced up at the front and saw that the coffin had already reached the end of the aisle. It had been placed in front of Natsume, who stood beside Aoi and in between Yuu's family. Aoi. Mikan still hadn't gotten used to seeing the crimson eyed girl, who, along with the sixth council had arrived at the mansion the night before. They were the first to arrive, quickly followed by fifth council. She was probably one of the prettiest girls Mikan had ever seen, what with her beautiful eyes and long black hair that tumbled down her shoulders. Ruka had been right, Aoi was a lot like herself; talkative, cheerful, and smiley. But today she was solemn, grieving with the other vampires for the loss of one of their own.

"We'll remember Yuu Tobita for many things, his kind heart, his loyalty, his passion to help others. He was a son, a brother, a grandchild, and a nephew. He was a very important family member and will always be remembered." Natsume paused. His voice trembled ever so slightly. Mikan felt a small ping of sympathy for him. As the head of council, Natsume was expected to conduct the burial service, even though he was only sixteen.

But he did it, and he didn't show any other signs of faltering. It was a long service. Mikan's legs began to grow sore from standing and the winter air nipped at her rosy cheeks. But she didn't mind. The atmosphere was too solemn to worry over such petty discomforts.

Finally, after Yuu's family read their own, heartfelt speeches and a prayer was said, the service was over.

"All family and invited guests are welcome to join us here tonight for Yuu Tobita's burial." Natsume announced. Then, without another word, the vampires began to leave.

"Mikan, if you don't mind, I'd like to go up and say goodbye to Yuu one last time before tonight," Nonoko said quietly.

"I don't mind at all."

Nonoko smiled ever so slightly. "Thanks."

The two girls walked up near the coffin where Yuu's family was gathered. As they approached, the two girls passed by Natsume who merely looked their way, and Aoi, who gave both of them a sympathetic smile. Nonoko returned the gesture and pulled Mikan toward the coffin. However once they got close enough to see in the glass lid, Mikan stopped.

"He looks…oh Nonoko, it must have been terrible," Mikan gasped.

"Vampires have a tradition of showing the scars of any vampires that fall in battle, to remind us of the brutality of monsters."

Mikan felt shiver run down her spine. Yuu's face was covered in deep gashes. You could see the beginning of scabs that covered the cuts, formed before Yuu passed away. More cuts and scratches covered his exposed neck and crept down underneath Yuu's suit. Mikan turned her head way, she wasn't ready. Beside her she could hear Nonoko whisper one last goodbye.

"We can go now," Nonoko said shakily, clasping her hand in Mikan's.

"Alright."

The two girls walked through the Mansion's garden and back toward the building, leaving Yuu's silver coffin behind.

-~-8-~-

Mikan looked up from her plate and took yet another look around the room. She took note of Aoi, who was sitting up at the front beside her brother, a man Aoi had said was Misaki and head of the sixth council, and even Ruka sitting alone across the room. But no matter how many times she looked Mikan could never find Hotaru anywhere.

"So," Mikan said, trying to distract herself. "How does this trainee thing work again?"

Nonoko looked over at Mikan, clearly glad for a conversation. "Well, each council has a head but only the first is ruled by royals. The rest chose two trainees, one of whom will eventually take over as head of that council."

"Ah," Mikan said in understanding. Nonoko directed her attention back toward her food, shaking ever so slightly every now and then. Mikan felt sorry for the girl; she knew Nonoko was still nervous for tonight. Mikan was about to open her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by the sound of the dining hall doors opening rather loudly. Mikan turned to look over her shoulder and saw a large group walking through into the hall. All noise in the room ceased abruptly, causing and eerie awkwardness to fall upon them.

Natsume was the first to speak. He stood up and said, "Jinno, Nodacchi, I see you made it here in good health."

"Yes," said a rather stern looking man, "We all made it just fine."

But as Mikan looked upon the vampires standing in the door way, she realized that they didn't look fine. Their eyes were sunken and their cheeks hollowed. Many looked weak or fatigued.

"I think they had it worse than the sixth council," Nonoko whispered. Mikan nodded, the sixth council didn't look half as bad as they did.

"Well come sit down!" Aoi finally announced. "We have extra tables set up so there should be enough room for everyone!" Natsume nodded in agreement and sat back down, watching the vampires as they filed in.

"There are a lot of them," Mikan pointed out.

"Yeah, I'd say around seventy," Nonoko replied. Mikan raised an eyebrow; that was a lot of vampires coming in at one time.

As the vampires sat down, waiters came around to offer them food and blood. Most of the vampires looked at the blood hungrily, waiting for their turn to be served. The ones that had been served picked up their glasses and drained them. Mikan watched the other vampires eat. They seemed ravenous; consuming what was in front of them at breakneck speed. It wasn't long before most of the vampires were finished their meal. Mikan looked down at her own plate. A few pieces of pork lay on the silver plate, coated in a sweet tasting sauce. Mikan picked one up and self-consciously put it in her mouth. She chewed slowly, savouring the flavour of the sweet, tender meat. After Mikan had finished the first piece, she picked up another and bit into it.

Pain shot through Mikan's tooth. Mikan gasped, dropped her chopsticks and put a hand up to her mouth.

"Are you all right?" Nonoko asked in concern, bending over the table to make sure Mikan was ok. Mikan mumbled a series of incomprehensible words, which only confused Nonoko further.

Mikan touched the tooth softly-recoiling slightly as another wave of pain shot through her mouth-and felt the tooth wiggle back and forth.

"My tooth is loose," Mikan grumbled.

Nonoko widened her eyes. "Which one?" she asked excitedly.

Mikan frowned, "Top left canine. Weird, I lost that one years ago."

"Mikan!" Nonoko squealed. "Your fangs are coming in!"

Mikan looked straight into Nonoko's eyes and did one of those jaw drops, eyebrows shoot up to your hairline sort of things.

"Oh god, I totally forgot that happens."

"Congratulations Mikan! Getting your fangs is a huge step in half-blood puberty!''

"Wait a sec! Hold your horses woman! Halfblood puberty?"

Nonoko giggled, "Well, that's not the official term but it is a good comparison."

"I'll just stick to calling it officially becoming a freak in the human world," Mikan muttered.

"Don't think of it that way! We're not freaks! And there isn't a vampire world or a human world, just earth," Nonoko scolded with the faintest trace of hurt in her voice.

"Nonoko, I didn't mean it like that. It's just been hard for me; this whole experience," Mikan sighed. Nonoko glanced down at the table briefly. When she swung her head back up to face Mikan, she had a small smile on her face.

"I get it. I understand how difficult it must have been. It's just…well, growing up as a vampire; you start to feel like the underdog. We're massively outnumbered by humans by over twenty million to one. Not only that but were forced to hide our identities because humans don't understand us. They're scared of us," Nonoko said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, I really am," Mikan said apologetically.

"Don't be."

The corners of Mikan's mouth rose into a sad smile. I was weird for her. All this time Mikan hadn't really thought of herself as a vampire but rather a lost girl looking in on someone else's world. So yeah her senses had gone haywire and she could now do more push-ups than she had ever been able to do before. But she still hadn't felt like she entirely belonged. Well, that was, until tonight. Her loose tooth felt like a wake-up call. She truly was a vampire, and would be for the rest of her life.

"Mikan?" Nonoko asked, waving her hand in front of her face. Mikan blinked, focusing back in on Nonoko.

"You done?" Nonoko asked.

"Huh?"

"Dinner; are you done your meal?"

"Oh," Mikan said. She looked down at her plate, picked at the remaining piece of pork, and decided she wasn't hungry. "Yeah, we can go."

The two girls stood up. Mikan stretched a bit then followed Nonoko away from the table.

"Hey Nonoko!" A male voice called out. Mikan turned around and saw a dirty blonde waving them over.

"Kitsuneme, is that you?" Nonoko laughed.

"It's been a while hasn't it," the boy replied. Nonoko grinned, grabbed Mikan's hand and dragged her over to the boy's table.

"Wow, it's hard to believe it's been two years already," Nonoko said once they reached the table.

"Yeah, I know. But that's what happens when you live a busy life. And look at you! You're all grown up!"

"Oh stop it!" Nonoko grinned while playfully swatting the boy's head. "This is Mikan by the way, she's the new halfblood."

The boy looked over at Mikan and held out a hand. "Halfblood huh? We don't see too many of those. Well, it's nice to meet you Mikan. I'm Kitsuneme by the way."

"Hi Kitsuneme," Mikan replied politely while shaking his hand.

"Oh and you must be Mochu!" Nonoko gushed, gesturing to a short haired boy across the table.

"Yeah, that would be me," the boy said with a grin.

"Mikan, Kitsuneme and Mochu are the trainees of the fourth council," Nonoko explained.

"Oh, really? That's pretty cool. So um, what do you do exactly?" Mikan asked blankly. Mochu grinned and Kitsuneme let out a hearty laugh.

"We train to become leaders," said Kitsuneme. "We learn leadership and public speaking skills, study the history of vampires, and take a look at battle strategies and try to knock each other out in combat training. You know, all that fun stuff."

Mikan nodded with a raised brow and asked, "And how many teeth do you still have?"

Mikan saw Nonoko trying to stifle her laughter out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, you know, I've had to replace a molar or two, and one of my incisors. Fortunately I don't have to pay for my dental plan," Kitsuneme joked.

Mikan cracked a smile. "Well, it sounds fun, whatever you do."

Kitsuneme nodded quickly then turned to Nonoko. "So, um have Koko and Permy arrived yet?" Kitsuneme asked in a slightly more serious tone.

"Permy?" Mikan questioned with a raised brow.

Nonoko giggled, "Well, that's not her _actual_ name. But we prefer Permy over Sumire."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah well, Sumire, Koko, Kitsuneme and I all grew up here. Whereas a lot of the other Trainees are born in the councils they train in, Like Mochu," Nonoko explained. Mochu raised his hand in recognition. "Oh, and to answer your question, no, they're not here. The third and seventh councils haven't arrived yet."

"Damn it," Kitsuneme whispered. Nonoko smirked and elbowed him in the side.

"You're waiting for your girl huh," She said tauntingly.

"She's not my girl!" Kitsuneme quickly replied in his own defense.

"But you like her," Nonoko teased.

Kitsuneme grunted, "It doesn't matter."

"What about that dude Yuu you were talking about," Mochu quickly cut in.

"Oh yeah! Where is he?" Kitsuneme said, glad for a change of topic.

Mikan gave Nonoko a worried glance. Her expression, which had been had been cheery only moments ago, immediately darkened.

"He-e's…" Nonoko stuttered. "H-his burial is tonight," Nonoko said slowly, trying not to choke up. Kitsuneme dropped his chopsticks, nearly choking on whatever he was eating.

"_What_?"

Mikan watched helplessly as tears began to fall from her friend's eyes.

"He's _dead_!" Nonoko exclaimed. A few nearby vampires glanced over at them with expressions of confusion and surprise etched onto their faces.

"Nonoko, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Kitsuneme began. "We were told that a young vampire had passed on but I didn't think it was him."

By now Nonoko had both her hands up to cover her mouth and to redirect her tears off her face. She gave the three of them a look of utter sorrow, then turned tail and fled. Kitsuneme bounced up to chase her but Mikan held him back.

"Please, it's nothing you said. She's just really unhappy right now and I think she needs some time alone," Mikan explained. Kitsuneme turned to face Mikan then gave her a sad nod. Slowly he sunk back into his seat and stared down at the food in front of him.

"Yuu is…dead?" Kitsuneme muttered. Mochu stood up to stand beside Kitsuneme, to comfort him.

"I best be going now I think," Mikan said soulfully. Mochu gave Mikan a curt nod before turning back to his friend. Mikan swallowed hard then turned away. She didn't look at anyone as she passed, unlike her normal self, who would smile at anyone who made eye contact with her. Instead she walked straight toward the exit.

-~-8-~-

It was an hour past noon, and Mikan still hadn't gone to bed. Normally she would have been out cold by ten but Mikan had decided to stay up until Yuu's burial was over. Mikan had seen several vampires walk past her window about twenty minutes ago so she assumed it was in fact, over.

Mikan knew she wouldn't get much sleep, not if she wanted to get up in time for breakfast that was.

Mikan sighed and looked down at the book she had been reading. She was rereading _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland _for what she thought was the tenth time, but she really wasn't sure. The black words on the page began to blur together as Mikan let the book go out of focus. Her eyes stung from reading while she was tired and her limbs craved for some sleep.

Mikan flipped the book close, dragged herself out of bed to close the curtains, then flopped back on the bed and threw the covers over her body. Lastly Mikan reached over to her lamp and turned it off.

The silence lasted for about thirty seconds, and then someone knocked at her door.

Mikan groaned loudly and swung her arm back over to the lamp. She turned it back on before calling out, "Come in."

The dim light from the hallway trickled in as the door swung open. Behind the door way stood Aoi Hyuuga.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to bother you! I know how late it is."

"It's fine. I was only just about to go to sleep. No worries," Mikan said groggily.

"Natsume thought you'd be up. He's the one who sent me by the way," Aoi quickly added. "He wanted me to tell you that he's taking you hunting tomorrow.

Mikan sat straight up as fast as a bullet.

"What's he doing that for?" Mikan barked. Aoi shrugged.

"I have no idea, I'm just the messenger."

Why was Natsume taking her hunting? It seemed odd considering she was pretty much under lock down for the next month.

"Um, do you mind if I step in for a minute?" Aoi asked suddenly. "It's just, this is, I mean was-"

"You're room, yeah Ruka told me," Mikan cut in. Aoi seemed a bit taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

"Yeah," Aoi said softly. The two of them looked at each other for a minute, causing an awkward silence.

"Oh, come over here," Mikan finally said with a big smile while motioning Aoi over. Aoi beamed and ran over to the bed, jumping up onto it with a loud thud.

"So, how's life?" Aoi asked.

Mikan snorted. "Amazing," She said sarcastically, rolling the sounds out slowly.

"I'd imagine it's pretty weird."

"Yeah, a bit. But I'm getting used to it."

Aoi nodded while taking a glance around the room. Her eyes fell upon the book Mikan had been reading and she immediately brightened up.

"Oh my god, that's one of my favourites!" Aoi gushed.

She reached over, picked up the book, and began flipping through the pages, stopping at random sections and reading a few lines.

"You can have it back of you want," Mikan suggested.

"Oh gosh no! Not while you're still reading it!"

"Don't worry about me! I've already read it at least ten times," Mikan said with a laugh.

"Really?" Aoi asked. She glanced down at the book with a mixture of temptation, worry and determination etched on her face.

"Just go ahead and take it! It's your book anyways."

Something about Aoi's expression seemed to cave, as if she was finally giving in. "Well, if you say so…"

Mikan watched in amusement as Aoi hugged the book to her chest.

"Thanks," Aoi whispered.

"No probs," Mikan replied.

Aoi took one last look around the room before saying, "I should probably go now. It's late and you need your sleep."

Mikan wanted to refuse and let Aoi stay a bit longer, but she was right. Aoi hopped of the bed, landing on the floor. "Well, thanks again," Aoi said.

"Yeah, good night, and don't let the bedbugs bite," Mikan joked.

Aoi grinned and walked to the door. Just before she left, Aoi turned around and said "You know, here we say, don't let the monsters bite." The door clicked shut leaving Mikan alone in her room, no, Aoi's room. And even though a dim light shone through the heavy curtains, when Mikan turned off the lamp it seemed a whole lot darker than it should have been.

-~-8-~-

Natsume felt his eyes flutter shut and fought the urge to fall asleep right at his desk. It had been a long day, and unfortunately, it wasn't over. As soon as Natsume heard the knock on his door he straightened up, removing his head from the surface of his desk.

"Enter," He called out groggily. The door swung open to reveal Jinno, one of the oldest and sternest looking council heads Natsume had ever met. His face was wrinkled and a pair of brown glasses lay upon his straight, stiff nose. Jinno had an old leather sack swung over one shoulder, the contents of which remained unknown to Natsume.

"Sir," Jinno said gruffly. "You do remember I said there were matters I wanted to discuss with you once my council arrived, do you not?"

"Yes," Natsume replied stiffly, trying to prevent himself from yawning.

"Well, I think I may have an explanation regarding the recent strange behavior of monsters."

"Is that so?" Natsume asked, raising one of his dark eyebrows. Jinno merely nodded. "Well then, please continue."

"Natsume sir, you must remember the legend of the immortal monster." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Of course," said Natsume. Everyone did. It was a children's tale vampires told their kids to prevent them from straying from their beds. The story went that long ago, a vampire became very interested in immortality, so interested in fact, that he went mad over his work. Eventually the man succeeded in creating a potion that made him live forever, but turned himself into monster in the process. When the other vampires found out what the man had did, they caught him and killed him. The adults would finish the story saying that the spirit of the vampires still roamed the mansion, haunting any who wandered the corridors past their bedtime.

"Well, I have reason to believe the story may hold some truth in it." Natsume stared up at Jinno. He was joking right? I didn't seem like it. Jinno was never the type to joke around. "You see, deep below the mansion are vaults that hold some of our darkest secrets; reports on long forgotten wars, instructions on unimaginable ways to torture people, and books containing some of the oldest works of vampires."

Natsume nodded, he had been told of these vaults by his uncle, and was instructed to never go down there without good reason.

"Your father became obsessed with these vaults when he was young; he yearned to learn everything he could from them, no matter how dark or gruesome the information was. He snuck out while others were asleep and read well past noon. He probably would have done so for many years, if your uncle and I hadn't caught him. When your grandfather found out he was furious. Your father was banned from the vaults and could not leave his room after dinner for months." Jinno explained.

Natsume drank in what Jinno was telling him with furrowed brows. He still hadn't explained how any of this related to the myth.

"Your father never returned to the vault, that is, until sixteen years ago."

"Before the invasion on the mansion," said Natsume.

"Yes, you see, your father had this habit of sensing when things were about to happen, a trait I believe Aoi inherited," Jinno chuckled. Natsume cracked a smile. Aoi did have an annoying habit of warning Natsume that something was going to go wrong. Anything from '_I think it's going to rain tonight,' _to '_I have a bad feeling about tonight's hunt'. _It turned out that a member of that night's hunt had several of his fingers bitten off.

"You're right about that," Natsume smirked.

Well, anyways, your father kept going on about terrible things happening to the first council, drove your grandfather insane. When your father realized no one believed him, he decided to work things out for himself."

"He went back to the vaults," Natsume guessed.

"Yes," said Jinno. "He did. And he found something that caught his interest right away; an old diary written by a woman named Kiyoko Matsushita. Through the diary he learned of a man named Rei Serio, who used to be the advisor of the head of the first council nearly a hundred and twenty years ago. The author of the diary voiced her suspicions of the man, which later proved to be true. Rei was arrested and sentenced to death for the practice of illegal alchemy."

"Illegal alchemy?" Natsume questioned with an air of doubt.

"Yes, illegal alchemy. Or to be more precise; the elixir of life."

Natsume leaned back in his chair and flicked his gaze up to the ceiling. It was hard to believe such a thing could possibly exist. Natsume heaved a sigh of utter exhaustion, trailing his eyes over the bumps and lines that covered the white washed ceiling. However he quickly flicked his eyes to Jinno as he pulled several things out of his bag. The first was a small, old looking leather bound book with red ribbon bookmark sticking out the bottom. Jinno also pulled out a folder containing several old papers and documents.

"Your father sent this to me for safe keeping days before this mansion was invaded. All the clues he found are in here, and he worked all the pieces together in a note he sent me," Jinno stated, then placed both the book and the folder on Natsume's desk.

Natsume reached for the book first and flipped through the pages. Inside the cover was the name Kiyoko Matsushita, written in long, loopy letters. Below the name was a date that traveled back nearly a hundred and twenty years.

"I suggest you start where the bookmark is," Jinno suggested. Natsume followed the other's suggestion and started reading from where the bookmark indicated.

_Oh, tonight has been so very dreadful! I can still hear the cries and wails from the royals! They're beside themselves and with good reason too. Their youngest child has been murdered! Murdered! But the strange thing about it is that it seems someone has drained the boy's blood. Oh poor thing, he was only a few years old! And he had such a darling little face, big brown eyes just like his mother. Oh the people will weep for days to come! You know, I bet this has something to do with the new advisor. What's his name…something Serio? I don't trust that man. He seems awfully immersed in his personal work and he lives alone in a small house on the edge of the property. You'd think he was planning to overthrow the royals by the way he carried himself. Hiroko said she saw him in the library pouring himself over books that looked very dark. Unfortunately she didn't get to see any titles or anything because the moment Serio saw her he packed up everything he was doing and left. Yes, I do say he's untrustworthy, that one. _

Natsume finished reading the passage then flicked his gaze over to the next page. However the next passage held much of the same, with no new information. Same went for the following few entries. Mixed with vague accusations against the advisor and detailed descriptions of mundane activities, Natsume began to lose hope that there was anything else worthwhile in the diary. That was, until Natsume read one page that seemed to have been written in a rush. The date at the top of the page was smudged and hard to read and several ink stains filled the old tattered page.

_Oh, you wouldn't believe it! _The first line read. _Rei Serio was arrested last eve! He had woken up the neighbors who live all the way down the street. They said they heard terrible howling from Serio's home and got help right away. Of course, once the officials came they pulled him out of that house and threw him in jail. Mizuki said she saw Serio as he left his home. Said he looked absolutely terrible, papery skin and sunken eyes. Of course, no one really wants to say it but it sounds like he looked like a monster._

_Everyone is excited to hear the official statement regarding these matters. In fact, Rokuro and a few of the other men marched up to the council and demanded an explanation. But the officials say they'll explain everything in the official statement. As if they will. I wouldn't be surprised if they warp the truth into some sort of believable story so that no one will panic. _

Natsume flipped the page and quickly started to read the next passage.

_I can't believe it! Not at all! They had that man right under their nose and now he's gone! Gone I tell you! Oh, it's been quite a night. And they had just made the statement earlier tonight that he would be burnt at the stake, though, the reason why has not been divulged yet. But anyways, I awoke merely an hour ago by some loud commotion downstairs. I decided to go down there myself and give them a verbal beating for waking me up only to be greeted by men running everywhere. A number of monsters had broken into the dungeon and were being fought off by the guards. Once the commotion calmed down it became apparent that Serio had escaped from his cell which was found empty. The head of council sent out vampires to look for him but there's been no word yet. Oh, I'd love to see that man captured and tied to a burning stake. _

Natsume took his eyes off the page and glanced up at Jinno. However Jinno wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was looking at some old photos of Natsume's family that had been hung up by the door. Natsume looked back down at the diary, flipping through the following pages. However there didn't seem to be anything more of importance written in the old book and after a few dozen pages the name Rei Serio seemed to vanish from the passages.

Natsume sighed and threw the book on the table. He grabbed the folder of papers and pulled out a tattered old document. Natsume recognized it instantly as official record regarding the appointment of Rei Serio as advisor. Natsume didn't spend much time reading it. He had read others quite like it before, and although some may have found it interesting to compare the ancient report to one of a more recent date, Natsume wasn't really in the mood.

The next page was much more interesting. It was a report written on Rei Serio's arrestment. Natsume skimmed over the paper, taking in the important points.

_Rei Serio, current advisor of Youta Hyuuga has been arrested for the practice of illegal alchemy and attempting to make the elixir of life. _

_It has been noted that Rei Serio has taken on a monster like state. _

_No trial will be given for sufficient evidence has been given. _

_Rei Serio will be burnt to the stake in three days' time._

_Information will be released to the public tomorrow. _

Natsume's brow furrowed as he read. Jinno had not been lying; the man really had been practicing Alchemy. Or what he thought was Alchemy, Natsume still had doubts that any of it actually worked. But then again, it had said he took on a monster like state. What exactly did that mean? The woman in the diary had said that he had looked like a monster, that's had to be what they meant…right?

The third document was a record on the monster invasion of the dungeon the night Serio had escaped. Natsume was quite surprised to find that they had only reported fourteen monsters. Natsume would have thought it would have taken more than fourteen to break into the mansion.

Natsume took a look at the last sheet that was in the folder. He was sucked in immediately. The page was the oldest out of all the ones he had read, with the edges ripped and crumbling. The paper itself was a brownish colour and the ink was so faded it was hard to read. The title read in big, bold letters, _The Elixir of Life. _Natsume trailed his eyes down the page and noticed that it looked rather like a recipe. Ingredients were listed on the left-hand side of the page, some of which were things Natsume had never heard of; crystal dust, the liver of a moon fish, juice of a living leaf. Others were as simple as the yolk of a dove egg. But the one ingredient that caught Natsume's attention was listed at the very bottom of the list; royal vampire blood.

After glancing down at the instructions bellow Natsume raised his head and finally spoke, "So, you think this," Natsume paused and motioned at the pile of papers on his desk. "This is what's causing the recent upstirring?"

Jinno, who had been closely inspecting a picture of Natsume's grandfather stood up and turned around. "I'm not positive, but I believe so. The evidence points in that direction."

"Evidence? Really? What evidence?" Natsume sighed.

"Well to start, the mere fact that monsters broke into the dungeons the night Serio escaped is suspicious. Monsters aren't the brightest, and there were very few of them. I have a hard time believing that they managed to get into the dungeons all by themselves. No, I think that they had some help along the way, someone to tell them how to enter without anyone noticing them."

"But monsters can't communicate with vampires," Natsume said in an exasperated tone.

"No, they can't" Jinno agreed. "But maybe they could with someone who wasn't completely vampire, someone part monster. Or, to correct myself, someone who had taken on a monster like state."

Natsume stared up at Jinno incredulously. Was he really saying what Natsume thought he was saying?

"You think that this Serio guy told the monsters how to get in? Why? To create a diversion so he could escape?"

"That's exactly what I think. It's the only logical explanation," said Jinno. Natsume wanted to point out that there wasn't any logic in that explanation, but refrained from saying so. Jinno must have seen the doubt in Natsume's eyes because he continued on to say, "Natsume, sixteen years ago this mansion was invaded by more monsters than I've seen in a long time. If that's not strange enough, think about this: the monsters targeted your mother's room where all the royals were that night. Your uncle, sister and yourself escaped and ran for safety. The monsters that did manage to infiltrate your mother's room were killed by the reinforcements that came later. Once it became obvious that retrieving royal blood would be attempt took in vain, the monsters retreated."

"And how do we know the monsters wanted royal blood?" Natsume asked.

"Not the monsters, they were most likely acting as servants and retrieving the blood for Rei Serio."

"Yes, but why? I mean, if the elixir really worked then why would he need to make it agian"

"Look down at the bottom of that recipe," Jinno said, nodding toward the page labeled, _The_ _Elixir of Life. _Natsume picked the page up once more and read the instructions at the bottom of the page was something he had merely glanced at the first time he had taken a look at it. As he read what was written, Natsume's heart began to race. Written in small letters at the very bottom of the page was a line that read, _To maintain immortality, user must brew the elixir every one hundred to one hundred and twenty five years. _

Natsume let the page fall out of his trembling hands and fall to the table ever so lightly.

"So," Natsume said shakily. "If all of this is really true, and some immortal monster vampire man really is ordering monsters around, looking for royal blood…" Natsume trailed off and looked up into Jinno's eyes.

"Then both you and your sister are in grave danger," Jinno replied.


End file.
